Cognitive flexibility moderates the relationship between openness-to-experience and perceptual reversals of Necker cube

It is not clear whether personality is related to basic perceptual processes at the level of automatic bottom-up processes or controlled top-down processes. Two experiments examined how personality influences perceptual dynamics, focusing on how cognitive flexibility moderates the relationship between personality and perceptual reversals of the Necker cube. The participants viewed stimuli either passively or with the intent to either hold or switch the orientation of the Necker cube. The influence of openness was predominantly evident in conditions necessitating intentional control over perceptual reversals. The link between openness and intentional perceptual reversals was always moderated by cognitive flexibility, which was measured in three different ways. No relationship was detected between personality traits and reversals in the passive viewing condition, suggesting that relatively spontaneous adaptation-inhibition processes may not be personality-dependent. Overall, our research sheds light on the nuanced influence of personality traits on perceptual experiences, mediated by cognitive flexibility.

Self-Regulated Parenting: A Systematic Review of the Relations Between Effortful Control, the Big-Five, and Parenting Practices

It is well established that parents' own self-regulation is related to adaptive parenting practices (such as warmth and sensitivity) as well as to maladaptive ones (such as laxness and over-reactivity). However, parenting practices are not solely determined by parents' self-regulation. We discuss how broad personality dimensions (drawn from the Big-Five model) relate to temperamental self-regulation (effortful control) and to parenting practices. Considering the limited empirical literature linking these three constructs, we present extant evidence for each of the dyadic connections between these three constructs. We then propose a comprehensive model that includes the plausible moderation/mediation role of different personality dimensions (such as conscientiousness and agreeableness) on the connection between self-regulation and parenting practices. This systematic review summarizes the extant empirical findings from 74 studies, linking effortful control, character and parenting practices. It is the first to systematically review and organize the accumulating knowledge regarding their relations. Based on the reviewed literature, a conceptual framework is proposed for predicting parenting practices, which are, in turn, a crucial concept predicting children's behavioral and cognitive outcomes. In doing so, it provides a theoretical basis for the importance of parental character traits, specifically conscientiousness and agreeableness, as mediators between the parent's effortful control and their actual parenting practices.

The Relationship Between Behavior Aspects of Executive Functions and Personality Traits in Healthy Young Adults

Executive functions (ЕF) are complex cognitive processes that govern our behavior and thoughts. Associations between personality traits and executive functions clarify the mechanisms of a person's ability to function in everyday situations. The main goal of this study was to explore different personality dimensions relevant to the prediction of two different executive functions - Inhibition and Working Memory. The Big Five Inventory and the Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI) were administered on a community sample comprising 549 young adults aged 18-35 years (mean age 22.10 years, SD 3.13). After controlling for age, gender and level of education, Conscientiousness and Extraversion were the most predictive personality traits, while Neuroticism and Agreeableness made specific contributions to the prediction of one of the two executive measures: Working Memory or Inhibition. Specifically, high Conscientiousness and Extraversion with low Neuroticism were significant predictors of Working Memory ability. On the other hand, high Conscientiousness and Agreeableness with low Extraversion predicted better Inhibition ability. These findings support the conclusion that these dimensions of individual differences seem to have numerous points of overlap at both psychological and neurobiological levels, but differences between these constructs are still significant.

Individual and context-evoked antecedents of exploration-exploitation performance

A central issue within the Carnegie approach is the exploration-exploitation tension that lies behind organizational adaptation. After decades of research, there is still little understanding of how the combination of individual and context-evoked differences affects exploration-exploitation performance. To address that issue, we build on recent psychological and neuroscientific studies to develop and test an integrative model. The model considers two individual antecedents (personality and cognitive flexibility) and three context-evoked antecedents that take place along different time horizons (recent stress, present emotional states, and present task motivation). We rely on a lab-in-the-field study of 282 leaders within the Swiss Armed Forces-an organization that exhibits the exploration-exploitation tension in an accentuated form. Using structural equation modeling, we conduct a multiple-mediation path analysis aimed at testing complex interactions between multiple variables. Our findings highlight the need to take an integrative approach; cognitive flexibility mediates the positive effect of the personality trait of emotional stability on exploration-exploitation performance, however, both cognitive flexibility and emotional stability play unique, underlying roles in explaining how organizational leaders interpret the context. Emotional stability decreases the negative effect of recent stress on a leader's cognitive flexibility. Cognitive flexibility, in turn, mediates the effect of the present positive affective signals of task motivation on exploration-exploitation performance. These findings shed new light on our understanding of how adaptive leaders leverage positive and negative context-evoked antecedents that, in turn, affect cognitive flexibility and exploration-exploitation.

Personality traits related to cognitive functioning in patients with functional neurological disorder

Cognitive symptoms are prevalent in patients with functional neurological disorder (FND). Several studies have suggested that personality traits such as neuroticism may play a pivotal role in the development of FND. FND has also been associated with alexithymia: patients with FND report difficulties in identifying, analyzing, and verbalizing emotions. Whether or not alexithymia and other personality traits are associated with cognitive symptomatology in patients with FND is unknown. In the current study, we explored whether the Big Five personality model factors (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and alexithymia were associated with cognitive functioning in FND. Twenty-three patients with FND were assessed using a neuropsychological assessment and questionnaire assessment to explore personality traits (Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory) and alexithymia (Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire). The results indicated that high conscientiousness was associated with lower planning scores (ρ = -0.52, p = .012) and high scores on alexithymia were associated with lower scores on verbal memory scores (ρ = -0.46, p = .032) and lower sustained attention scores (ρ = -0.45, p = .046). The results did not remain significant after controlling for multiple testing. The preliminary results of our study suggest that personality and cognitive symptomatology in patients with FND are topics that should be further explored in future studies, as cognitive symptomology can affect treatment results.

Polygenic risk for neuroticism is associated with less efficient control in more difficult situations

Neuroticism is a heritable trait and a risk factor for mental health due to its relevance to poor control of negative events. To examine the relationship between genetic propensity for neuroticism and control processing, we used the polygenic risk score (PRS) approach and a stop signal task during fMRI. We hypothesized that genetic propensity for neuroticism may moderate control processing as a function of control difficulty. PRSs for neuroticism were computed from a transdiagnostic group of individuals (n=406) who completed the stop signal task. The level of control difficulty was a function of the stop signal asynchrony: shorter asynchrony allows easier stopping whereas longer asynchrony makes stopping difficult. The relationship between PRS for neuroticism and neural activity for controlling responses was examined by the stop signal asynchrony. Although PRS for neuroticism did not relate to the overall inhibitory control, individuals with high PRS for neuroticism showed greater activity in left dorsal prefrontal cortex, middle temporal gyrus, and dorsal posterior cingulate cortex for difficult control. Thus, the genetic propensity for neuroticism affects neural processing in a difficult control context, which may help to explain why individuals with high levels of neuroticism exert poor control of negative events in difficult situations.

The relationship of personality and executive functions in high-level soccer athletes: expertise-and gender-specific differences

Background

Psycho-cognitive factors such as personality and executive functions (EFs) are influential parameters when it comes to examining expertise in high-level soccer. Therefore, the profiles of those athletes are relevant both from a practical and scientific point of view. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits and executive functions with age group as an influential factor in high-level male and female soccer players.

Methods

Personality traits and executive functions of 138 high-level male and female soccer athletes from the U17-Pros teams were assessed using the big-five paradigm. A series of linear regressions investigated contributions of personality on EF assessments and team, respectively.

Results

Linear regression models showed both negative and positive relationships between various personality traits, executive function performance and the influence of expertise and gender. Together, a maximum of 23% (R² = 6%-23%) of the variance between EFs with personality and various teams, demonstrating that many unaccounted-for variables remain at play.

Conclusion

The results of this study demonstrate the inconsistent relationship between personality traits and executive functions. The study calls for more replication studies to help strengthen the understanding of relationships between psycho-cognitive factors in high-level team sport athletes.

A meta-analysis of polychronicity: Applying modern perspectives of multitasking and person-environment fit

We apply modern theory on multitasking and person-environment fit to holistically explain the relations of polychronicity as well as provide justifications for disparate results found in prior studies, such as undetected differences regarding task-switching and dual-tasking. We then conduct a meta-analysis of polychronicity's relations. We show that the nomological net surrounding polychronicity matches our proposed fit perspective. We likewise demonstrate that differences in task-switching and dual-tasking indeed influence the observed results of polychronicity, and the growing complexity of businesses may have caused the association of polychronicity and job performance to strengthen over time. Our discussion highlights that polychronicity plays an important role in personal well-being and employee performance, which can be understood by our person-environment fit perspective.

Plain Language Summary

We apply modern theory on multitasking and person-environment fit to holistically explain the relations of polychronicity as well as provide justifications for disparate results found in prior studies, such as undetected differences regarding task-switching and dual-tasking. We then conduct a meta-analysis of polychronicity's relations. We show that the nomological net surrounding polychronicity matches our proposed fit perspective. We likewise demonstrate that differences in task-switching and dual-tasking indeed influence the observed results of polychronicity, and the growing complexity of businesses may have caused the association of polychronicity and job performance to strengthen over time. Our discussion highlights that polychronicity plays an important role in personal well-being and employee performance, which can be understood by our person-environment fit perspective.

Personality factors and cognitive functioning in patients with somatic symptom and related disorders

OBJECTIVE

Somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRD) are often complicated by cognitive symptoms, including reduced information processing speed, memory, and planning. Depression has been related to poor cognitive functioning in SSRD, but the role of underlying personality factors is poorly understood. This study investigates the association between personality factors (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) with cognitive functioning in patients with SSRD.

METHODS

Data from 366 patients with SSRD from a tertiary care expert center (mean age = 42.1 years (SD = 13.4), 59.6% women) were analyzed using a cross-sectional design. Neuropsychological assessments included measures of information processing speed, memory, attention, and executive function. Personality factors were assessed using the NEO-FFI and depressive symptoms using the PHQ-9.

RESULTS

Regression analyses showed associations between neuroticism with poorer performance on visual memory (B = -0.09, SE = 0.04, β = -0.14, p = .019), and planning (B = -0.09. SE = 0.02, β = -0.23, p < .001). Extraversion was also inversely associated with visual memory (B = -0.13, SE = 0.05, β = -0.18, p = .011) and planning (B = -0.07, SE = 0.03, β = -0.17, p = .021) and openness was associated with better visual memory (B = 0.17, SE = 0.05, β = 0.19, p = .002). These associations were attenuated but remained significant after adjusting for depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Neuroticism, extraversion, and low openness were associated with lower cognitive functioning (particularly planning and visual memory) in patients with SSRD, which remained significant after taking depressive symptoms into account.

Profiles of executive functioning and neuroticism in emerging adulthood: Concurrent associations with psychopathology and health-related quality of life

Objective: We employed latent profile analysis (LPA) to discern configurations of executive functioning (EF) and neuroticism (NE) and tested their concurrent validity with respect to internalizing and externalizing problems and physical health. Participants: A total of 125 college students completed the study. Methods: Participants self-reported NE and EF on separate normed rating scales and completed computerized tests of EF. Self-reported internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and global physical health were collected. Results: LPA revealed four profiles: (1) Lower EF + Higher NE, (2) Higher EF + Lower NE, (3) Inconsistent EF + Higher NE, and (4) Inconsistent EF + Lower NE. Adjusting for covariates, profiles were differentially associated with internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and physical health. Conclusions: Screening EF and NE in college students may identify those at risk for psychopathology and physical health concerns. Tailored prevention and intervention efforts on college campuses targeting EF and NE may enhance well-being.

Decision-making under stress: Executive functions, analytical intelligence, somatic markers, and personality traits in young adults

The main goal of the study was to scrutinize mediating and moderating mechanisms identified in line with the predictions of Somatic Marker Hypothesis (SMH) and Dual Process Theory of the effect of acute stress on decision making. The sample group of the research comprised of 61 (31 females, 30 males) healthy university students aged between 18 and 23 (x̄ = 21, SD = 1.28). Data measurement tools were Skin Conductance Response Measurement, Iowa Gambling Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Wechsler Memory Scale-III Spatial Span Subtest, Stroop Test TBAG Form, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Matrix Reasoning Subtest, Stress Rating Scale, The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Big Five Personality Traits Scale, Ways of Coping Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory. The findings indicated that acute stress gives rise to decision-making failures by suppressing the SCR emphasized in SMH and mental processes defined in System 2. Furthermore, neuroticism had a moderating role in the relationship between stress and decision-making. Accordingly, the abovementioned theories cannot separately be sufficient to explain decision-making under stress; but, the predictions of these theories can complement each other to thoroughly make out the physiological and cognitive mechanisms of decision-making.

"Neurotic people tend to eat less when disinhibited": The mediating role of food-related cognitive flexibility in restrained eaters

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to reveal the individual differences in Neuroticism and cognitive flexibility among successful restrained eaters (SREs), unsuccessful restrained eaters (UREs), and non-restrained eaters (NREs). Moreover, this study is dedicated to investigating whether certain personality traits and cognitive flexibility could concurrently influence disinhibited eating behaviors among restrained eaters and reveal the pathways through which they interact.

METHODS

Female participants aged 17 and 24 years (NREs = 23; SREs = 24; UREs = 23) were assessed with body mass index (BMI) and appetite state measurement, the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. To measure behavioral and neural responses related to cognitive flexibility, participants were required to complete a food-related switching task, and their brain activities were recorded through the technique of electroencephalography (EEG). Here we analyzed two widely investigated components-the N2 and P3 components that separately relate to conflict monitoring and response inhibition.

RESULTS

The behavioral performance of food-related task switching did not show significant between-group differences. However, in comparison to NREs and SREs, UREs elicited larger N2 and lower P3 amplitudes during task switching. In addition, UREs exhibited a lower level of Neuroticism than SREs and NREs. Furthermore, food-related task switching induced N2 amplitude fully mediated the association between Neuroticism and disinhibited eating behavior in restrained eaters controlled for BMI and negative affect. Importantly, when a parallel mediation model with N2 and P3 was built concurrently, N2 was still able to fully mediate the association.

CONCLUSION

According to behavioral and neural evidence, increased N2 amplitude induced by food-related task switching totally mediated the negative association between Neuroticism and disinhibited eating in restrained eaters.

Higher levels of neuroticism in older adults predict lower executive functioning across time: the mediating role of perceived stress

Neuroticism has been associated with individual differences across multiple cognitive functions. Yet, the literature on its specific association with executive functions (EF) in older adults is scarce, especially using longitudinal designs. To disentangle the specific influence of neuroticism on EF and on coarse cognitive functioning in old adulthood, respectively, we examined the relationship between neuroticism, the Trail Making Test (TMT) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in a 6-year longitudinal study using Bayesian analyses. Data of 768 older adults (M age = 73.51 years at Wave 1) were included in a cross-lagged analysis. Results showed no cross-sectional link between neuroticism and TMT performance at Wave 1 and no longitudinal link between neuroticism at Wave 1 and MMSE at Wave 2. However, neuroticism at Wave 1 predicted TMT performance at Wave 2, indicating that the more neurotic participants were, the lower they performed on the TMT six years later. Additional analyses showed that this relation was fully mediated by participants' perceived stress. Our results suggest that the more neurotic older adults are the more stress they may perceive six years later, which in turn negatively relates to their EF. In sum, this study demonstrates that neuroticism may lead to lower EF in older age across six years. It further suggests older adults' perceived stress as mediator, thereby providing novel insights into the mechanisms underlying this relation. Possible intervention approaches to counter these effects are discussed.

Digitally generated Trail Making Test data: Analysis using hidden Markov modeling

The Trail Making Test (TMT) is a neuropsychological test used to assess cognitive dysfunction. The TMT consists of two parts: TMT-A requires connecting numbers 1 to 25 sequentially; TMT-B requires connecting numbers 1 to 12 and letters A to L sequentially, alternating between numbers and letters. We propose using a digitally recorded version of TMT to capture cognitive or physical functions underlying test performance. We analyzed digital versions of TMT-A and -B to derive time metrics and used Bayesian hidden Markov models to extract additional metrics. We correlated these derived metrics with cognitive and physical function scores using regression. On both TMT-A and -B, digital metrics associated with graphomotor processing test scores and gait speed. Digital metrics on TMT-B were additionally associated with episodic memory test scores and grip strength. These metrics provide additional information of cognitive state and can differentiate cognitive and physical factors affecting test performance.

Openness and Entrepreneurial Performance During COVID-19 Pandemic: Strategic Decision Comprehensiveness as an Inconsistent Mediator

The COVID-19 pandemic severely hit small and micro-businesses. In the face of the impact of the pandemic, how to help entrepreneurs, especially small- and micro-businesses that are more sensitive to the impact of the pandemic, make decisions to reduce losses has become an issue worth paying attention to. From the perspective of personality approach, this article studied openness, which is the strongest predictor of entrepreneurial performance among the big five personality traits, and explored the impact of entrepreneurs' openness on entrepreneurial performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the inconsistent mediating role of strategic decision comprehensiveness on entrepreneurial performance. An online questionnaire survey was conducted among 238 entrepreneurs of small- and micro-businesses when China was recovering from the pandemic and starting to resume work and production (February 18 - February 26, 2020). Entrepreneurial performance during the COVID-19 pandemic was measured by comparing the business conditions before and after the pandemic. The results showed that entrepreneurs' openness positively impacted strategic decision comprehensiveness and entrepreneurial performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the two competing hypotheses proposed by summarizing previous research, the results supported that strategic decision comprehensiveness negatively affected entrepreneurial performance. It indicated that entrepreneurs who tend to collect and analyze information extensively and then make decisions during the pandemic could not seize opportunities and improve their entrepreneurial performance. The results further supported that strategic decision comprehensiveness was an inconsistent mediator between openness and entrepreneurial performance, showing that entrepreneurs with low openness can also reduce the loss of entrepreneurial performance during the pandemic by making incomplete but rapid strategic decisions. This study found that the openness of entrepreneurs had a positive impact on strategic decision comprehensiveness for the first time and provided more empirical evidence for the negative effect of strategic decision comprehensiveness on entrepreneurial performance in the context of information uncertainty and unanalyzable situations. The inconsistent mediating effect of strategic decision comprehensiveness revealed in this study also has practical significance for helping entrepreneurs make correct decisions to reduce the losses caused by the pandemic.

Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Assess Creative Potential Traits

The aim of the study was to develop an inventory to assess traits of creative potential and to analyze its psychometric properties. Three dimensions that could be associated with creative potential were proposed: willingness to transgress, willingness to take on challenges, and willingness to explore. For this purpose 551 participants were chosen to respond to an inventory composed of 12 items: Traits of Creative Potential Questionnaire, (TCPQ-12) and other tests to determine concurrent validity. The correlations between these instruments were significant. In addition, the instrument showed adequate internal consistency (Ω = 0.813) and the exploratory factor analysis yielded salient factors coincident with the proposed dimensions. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated an optimal fit (CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.979, GFI = 0.963, RMSEA = 0.035). with composite reliability (CR) values > 0.70 in two factors and in one was slightly lower (CR = 0.684). The average variance extracted (AVE) was > 0.5 in two factors and in one < 0.5. The study data allow to highlight that the instrument presented here is a concise instrument with adequate psychometric properties.

Open and empathic personalities see two things at the same time: the relationship of big-five personality traits and cognitive empathy with mixed percepts during binocular rivalry

Does our personality predict what we see? This question was studied in 100 university students with binocular rivalry paradigm by presenting incompatible images to each eye, allowing multiple interpretations of the same sensory input. During continuous binocular presentation, dominance of perception starts to fluctuate between the images. When neither of the images is fully suppressed, the two images combine into mixed percepts. We focused on the link between mixed percepts, big-five traits, and empathy. The results revealed that openness and agreeableness correlated with the occurrence of mixed percepts after the first dominant perception. However, these correlations of openness and agreeableness were mediated by cognitive empathy. In addition, openness had a direct association with reporting the initial percept in the onset of stimulation as a mixed percept, suggesting a mechanism that is separate from the one mediated by cognitive empathy. Overall, the results provide preliminary evidence suggesting that personality predicts what we see. Such individual differences in perceptual interpretations may be linked to both higher level cognitive mechanisms as well as lower level visual mechanisms.

Engagement in Cognitively Stimulating Activities Mediates the Relationship between Openness and Attention/Executive Functions, but Not Memory in Older Adults

OBJECTIVE

Openness has a positive association with cognitive functioning and engagement in cognitively stimulating activities (CSA). Older adults who engage in more CSA tend to show greater preservation of their cognitive skills; thus, we examined whether: higher Openness would be associated with higher attention/executive functions (AEF) and verbal memory; and CSA would mediate the relationship between Openness and AEF, as well as verbal memory.

METHOD

477 community-dwelling older adults (65+ years) were included in the current cross-sectional study. Composite variables of AEF (TMT-A&B, COWAT, and DSST) and verbal memory (RBANS immediate and delayed verbal memory subtasks) were included. Openness was assessed via the Big-5 Inventory and CSA with the Leisure Activity Questionnaire.

METHOD

477 community-dwelling older adults (65+ years) were included in the current cross-sectional study. Composite variables of AEF (TMT-A&B, COWAT, and DSST) and verbal memory (RBANS verbal memory subtasks) were included. Openness was assessed via the Big-5 Inventory and CSA with the Leisure Activity Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Linear regressions indicated a significant positive association between Openness and AEF (β = .09, p < .01), but not verbal memory (β = .06, p = .06). A significant partial mediation was demonstrated between Openness, CSA, and AEF (c: β = .08, p < .05, 95%CI = .02-.14; c': β = .02, 95%CI = .01-.03). The mediation of Openness, CSA, and verbal memory was not significant (c: β = .06, p > .05, 95%CI = .01-.11; c': β = .00, 95%CI = -.01-.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The association between Openness and AEF, but not verbal memory, was partially mediated by CSA in healthy older adults. The findings suggest that those who are more open to and highly engaged in CSA may have a later in life advantage in preserving their AEF abilities.

No relation of Need for Cognition to basic executive functions

OBJECTIVE

Need for Cognition (NFC) refers to a personality trait describing the relatively stable intrinsic motivation of individuals to invest cognitive effort in cognitive endeavors. Higher NFC is associated with a more elaborated, central information processing style and increased recruitment of resources in cognitively demanding situations. To further clarify the association between cognitive resources and NFC, we examined in two studies how NFC relates to executive functions as basic cognitive abilities.

METHOD

In Study 1, 189 healthy young adults completed an NFC scale and a battery of six commonly used inhibitory control tasks (Stroop, antisaccade, stop-signal, flanker, shape-matching, word-naming). In Study 2, 102 healthy young adults completed the NFC scale and two tasks for each of the three executive functions inhibitory control (go-nogo, stop-signal), shifting (number-letter, color-shape), and working memory updating (two-back, letter-memory).

RESULTS

Using a Bayesian approach to correlation analysis, we found no conclusive evidence that NFC was related to any executive function measure. Instead, we obtained even moderate evidence for the null hypothesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Both studies add to more recent findings that shape the understanding of NFC as a trait that is less characterized by increased cognitive control abilities but rather by increased willingness to invest effort and exert self-control via motivational processes.

The Selective Dopamine D2 Blocker Sulpiride Modulates the Relationship Between Agentic Extraversion and Executive Functions

Initial studies suggest that agentic extraversion and executive functions (EF) are associated, because they share influences of individual differences in the dopamine (DA) system. However, it is unclear whether previously reported associations are specific to certain EFs (e.g., to updating or shifting) or due to shared variance among EF tasks. We investigated the DA-related relationship between agentic extraversion and two EF tasks in a placebo-controlled between-group design with the DA D2 receptor blocker sulpiride (200 mg) in 92 female volunteers. Our goals were to investigate whether (1) there is an association between agentic extraversion and EFs measured with two different tasks (3-back and switching), (2) this association is sensitive to a pharmacological manipulation of DA, and (3) the effects can be ascribed to shared or specific task variance. We observed the expected interaction between drug condition and agentic extraversion for both tasks in a multivariate multiple linear regression model, which supports the DA theory of extraversion. Subsequent univariate analyses revealed a highly similar interaction effect between drug condition and agentic extraversion on two of three performance measures and this effect was somewhat attenuated when we controlled for shared task variance. This pattern matches the interpretation that the association between agentic extraversion and both tasks is partly due to DA-based processes shared among the tasks. Our results, although limited by the low reliability of the switching task, suggest that variance components and measurement difficulties of EF tasks should be considered when investigating personality-related individual differences in EFs.

The C Factor: Cognitive dysfunction as a transdiagnostic dimension in psychopathology

Research into cognitive functions across psychological disorders suggests that cognitive deficiencies may be present across multiple disorders, potentially pointing to a transdiagnostic phenomenon. More recently, a single dimension model of psychopathology, the p factor, has been proposed, in which cognitive deficits are thought to be an intrinsic construct, assumed to be transdiagnostic. However, no systematic investigation to date tested this hypothesis. The aim of the present study was to systematically review meta-analyses to assess the hypothesis that the C factor (cognitive dysfunction) is transdiagnostic in psychopathology and review potential moderators that may account for such a phenomenon. We conducted a systematic review of meta-analyses examining cognitive function across all disorders for which data were available. Included meta-analyses (n = 82), comprising 97 clinical samples, yielded 1,055 effect sizes. Twelve major disorders/categories (e.g., bipolar disorder, substance use disorders) were included, comprising 29 distinct clinical entities (e.g., euthymic bipolar disorder; alcohol use disorder). Results show that all disorders reviewed are associated with underperformance across cognitive domains, supporting the hypothesis that the C factor (or cognitive dysfunction) is a transdiagnostic factor related to p. To examine moderators that may explain or contribute to c, we first consider important interpretative limitations of neuropsychological data in psychopathology. More crucially, we review oft-neglected motivational and emotional transdiagnostic constructs of p, as prominent contributing constructs to the C factor. These constructs are offered as a roadmap for future research examining these constructs related to p, that contribute, and may account for cognitive dysfunctions in psychopathology.

Normative and Maladaptive Personality Traits and Self-Reported Executive Functioning

Research on self-reported executive functioning (EF) and personality has largely focused on normative personality traits. While previous research has demonstrated that maladaptive personality traits are associated with performance-based EF, the literature examining the relationship between these traits and self-reported EF is limited. The current study examined the relationship between multiple domains of self-reported EF (Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale) and both normative (The International Personality Item Pool-NEO-120 Item [IPIP-120]) and maladaptive (Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Short Form [PID-5-SF]) personality traits in an undergraduate student sample (n = 354). Similar to past research, relationships were largest across EF domains for both measures related to neuroticism (i.e., IPIP-120 neuroticism and PID-5-SF negative affectivity) and conscientiousness (i.e., IPIP-120 conscientiousness and PID-5-SF disinhibition). Normative personality traits generally accounted for greater variance in EF when examined alone and were also generally associated with greater incremental validity when compared with maladaptive personality traits. However, multiple regression analyses indicated that maladaptive personality traits added unique predictive variance above and beyond normative personality traits in their association with multiple domains of EF. These results highlight the utility of assessing both normative and maladaptive personality traits as well as multiple domains of EF to more fully understand the relationship between personality and EF.

The relationship among resting-state brain activity and connectivity, agreeableness and displaced aggression: Two possible mediation models

BACKGROUND

Displaced aggression is a specific form of attack prompted by rumination on anger experiences and revenge thought which might lead to expression of anger on innocent people. There is sufficient evidence demonstrating the potential role of agreeableness in reducing displaced aggression in theory. However, little is known about the neural basis of displaced aggression and how agreeableness and the underlying neural mechanisms link to displaced aggression.

METHODS

In this investigation, we examined these issues on 123 college students by assessing resting-state brain activity (i.e. amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation, ALFF) and connectivity (i.e. resting-state functional connectivity, RSFC).

RESULTS

Whole-brain correlation analysis revealed that a higher level of displaced aggression was linked with decreased ALFF in the left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and decreased RSFC between the left dmPFC and left ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Mediation analysis further revealed that left dmPFC activity and the left dmPFC-vmPFC connectivity mediated the relationship between agreeableness and displaced aggression, as well as agreeableness mediated the relation between left dmPFC activity and the left dmPFC-vmPFC connectivity and displaced aggression.

LIMITATIONS

Only ALFF and RSFC were used as indicators of brain function in this study. The two mediation models need to be further tested by longitudinal design or experimental methods in further studies.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggested that dmPFC and vmPFC might be the functional neural markers of displaced aggression and provided two possible mediation models regarding the relationship among the resting-state brain activity and connectivity, agreeableness and displaced aggression.

Five factor model personality traits relate to adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder but not to their distinct neurocognitive profiles

Deficits in multiple neuropsychological domains and specific personality profiles have been observed in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study we investigated whether personality traits are related to neurocognitive profiles in adults with ADHD. Neuropsychological performance and Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits were measured in adults with ADHD (n = 133) and healthy controls (n = 132). Three neuropsychological profiles, derived from previous community detection analyses, were investigated for personality trait differences. Irrespective of cognitive profile, participants with ADHD showed significantly higher Neuroticism and lower Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness than healthy controls. Only the FFM personality factor Openness differed significantly between the three profiles. Higher Openness was more common in those with aberrant attention and inhibition than those with increased delay discounting and atypical working memory / verbal fluency. The results suggest that the personality trait Openness, but not any other FFM factor, is linked to neurocognitive profiles in ADHD. ADHD symptoms rather than profiles of cognitive impairment have associations with personality traits.

Longitudinal Effects of Personality on Physical Activity Among College Students: Examining Executive Function as a Potential Moderator

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between personality and physical activity, with a specific focus on whether executive function moderates this relationship. Methods One hundred twenty-six young adults provided complete data at baseline and the five-month follow-up assessment. Executive function was assessed via the parametric Go/No-Go computer task; outcome measures of parametric Go/No-Go were mean reaction time and percent of correct target detection across executive function tasks (simple rule and repeating rule). Personality and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were assessed via validated questionnaires; one-week test-retest was established on a random sample of the participants, with pedometry employed in the subsample. Results Individuals with a higher baseline conscientiousness personality type had greater five-month follow-up moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (β = 18.5; 95% confidence interval: 5.3, 31.7; p = .006). There was no evidence of an interaction effect for personality trait and executive function on five-month follow-up moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Conclusion The personality trait conscientiousness was associated with greater moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. However, there was no evidence to suggest that executive function moderates the role between personality and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Thus, if confirmed by future work, personality may exert its effects on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity independent of executive function level.

Personality and Performance in Specific Neurocognitive Domains Among Older Persons

OBJECTIVE

Certain Big 5 personality dimensions have been repeatedly linked to global measures of cognitive function and outcome categories. We examined whether the Big 5 or their specific components showed differential evidence of associations with specific neurocognitive domains.

METHODS

Participants were 179 older adults (70+) from a broader study on cognitive aging. The NEO-Five Factor Inventory and a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests were used.

RESULTS

Adjusted for age, gender, and years of education, probability values, Bayes Factors, and measures effect size from linear models suggested strong evidence for associations between better delayed recall memory and higher Conscientiousness (principally the facets of Goal-Striving and Dependability) and Openness (specifically the Intellectual Interest component). Better executive function and attention showed moderate to strong evidence of associations with lower Neuroticism (especially the Self-conscious Vulnerability facet) and higher Conscientiousness (mostly the Dependability facet). Better language functioning was linked to higher Openness (specifically, the Intellectual Interests facet). Worse visual-spatial function was strongly associated with higher Neuroticism.

CONCLUSION

Different tests of neurocognitive functioning show varying degrees of evidence for associations with different personality traits. Better understanding of the patterning of neurocognitive-personality linkages may facilitate grasp of underlying mechanisms and/or refine understanding of co-occurring clinical presentation of personality traits and specific cognitive deficits.

Trait Cheerfulness Does Not Influence Switching Costs But Modulates Preparation and Repetition Effects in a Task-Switching Paradigm

Many studies have shown the beneficial effect of positive emotions on various cognitive processes, such as creativity and cognitive flexibility. Cheerfulness, understood as an affective predisposition to sense of humor, has been associated with positive emotions. So far, however, no studies have shown the relevance of this dimension in cognitive flexibility processes. The aim of this research was to analyze the relationship between cheerfulness and these processes. To this end, we carried out two studies using a task-switching paradigm. Study 1 aimed at analyzing whether high trait cheerfulness was related to better cognitive flexibility (as measured by reduced task-switching costs), whereas Study 2 aimed at replicating the pattern of data observed in Study 1. The total sample was composed of 139 participants (of which 86 were women) selected according to their high versus low scores in trait cheerfulness. In a random way, participants had to judge whether the face presented to them in each trial was that of a man or a woman (gender recognition task) or whether it expressed anger or happiness (expressed emotion recognition task). We expected participants with high versus low trait cheerfulness to show a lower task-switching cost (i.e., higher cognitive flexibility). Results did not confirm this hypothesis. However, in both studies, participants with high versus low trait cheerfulness showed a higher facilitation effect when the stimuli attributes were repeated and also when a cue was presented anticipating the demand to perform. We discuss the relevance of these results for a better understanding of cheerfulness.

Executive Function and Personality Predict Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Alzheimer Disease

OBJECTIVE

Previous research shows that executive function (EF) and personality independently predict functional decline. Our objective was to determine whether personality traits predict independence with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), after accounting for executive dysfunction, in a mixed sample of patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD).

METHODS

In a cross-sectional analysis at a university medical center, 63 healthy older adults (median age: 67.6 years; 71% women) and 119 patients (median age: 75.0 years; 58% women) with varying degrees of AD (probable AD: 85; possible AD: 3; amnestic MCI: 31) were studied. Standardized neuropsychological measures, NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and informant-report Lawton and Brody IADL scales were used. All participants underwent neuropsychological evaluation, including administration of self- and informant-report NEO-FFI. Patients additionally underwent neurologic examination, and their informants completed the Lawton and Brody IADL scale.

RESULTS

When testing the association between EF and personality on IADLs in the patient sample, conceptual card sorting, informant-report Openness, and informant-report Conscientiousness all significantly predicted IADLs, after accounting for age, education, and depression. In addition, a significant interaction showed that low Conscientiousness and executive dysfunction, in combination, can predict impairment of IADLs.

CONCLUSION

Personality has a unique association with IADLs in patients with AD pathology that is not explained by EF. The findings confirm prior speculation that personality, in addition to cognitive dysfunction, is a risk factor for functional decline. Early identification of vulnerable individuals may allow for intervention to prolong functional independence.

Development of Indirect Measures of Conscientiousness: Combining a Facets Approach and Network Analysis

Because indirect measures of personality self–concepts such as the Implicit Association Test (IAT) allow tapping into automatic processes, they can offer advantages over self–report measures. However, prior investigations have led to mixed results regarding the validity of indirect measures of conscientiousness. We suggest that these results might be due to a failure to consider the different facets of conscientiousness. These facets are of crucial importance because they are associated differentially with other psychobiological constructs and they are also characterized by different mechanisms. Therefore, focusing on facets while developing indirect measures of conscientiousness may improve the validity of such measures. In Study 1, we conducted a psycholexical investigation to develop one IAT for each conscientiousness facet. In Study 2, we examined the convergent and discriminant validities of each facet IAT in relation to self–report measures, peer–report measures and self–report behavioural indicators, and we investigated differential associations of the conscientiousness facets with working memory capacity and self–control. We employed network analysis as a novel approach to elucidate differential relationships involving personality facets. The results corroborated the convergent and discriminant validity of the conscientiousness facet IATs with self–reports and showed that the conscientiousness facets were differentially associated with working memory capacity and with self–control. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

Specifying Associations Between Conscientiousness and Executive Functioning: Mental Set Shifting, Not Prepotent Response Inhibition or Working Memory Updating

Conscientiousness is characterized by self-control, organization, and goal orientation and is positively related to a number of health and professional outcomes. Thus, it is commonly suggested that conscientiousness should be related to superior executive functioning (EF) abilities, especially prepotent response inhibition. However, little empirical support for this notion has emerged, perhaps due to oversimplified and underspecified modeling of EF. The current study sought to fill this gap by testing relations between conscientiousness and three facets of EF using a nested factors latent variable approach. Participants (N = 420; Mage  = 22.5; 50% male; 91% Caucasian) completed a measure of conscientiousness and nine EF tasks designed to tap three related yet distinguishable facets of EF: working memory updating, mental set shifting, and prepotent response inhibition. Structural equation models showed that conscientiousness is positively associated with the EF facet of mental set shifting but not response inhibition or working memory updating. Despite the common notion that conscientiousness is associated with cognitive abilities related to rigid control over impulses (i.e., inhibition), the current results suggest the cognitive ability most associated with conscientiousness is characterized by flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing environmental contingencies and task demands.

Communicating and dealing with uncertainty in general practice: the association with neuroticism

Background

Diagnostic reasoning in primary care setting where presented problems and patients are mostly unselected appears as a complex process. The aim was to develop a questionnaire to describe how general practitioners (GPs) deal with uncertainty to gain more insight into the decisional process. The association of personality traits with medical decision making was investigated additionally.

Methods

Raw items were identified by literature research and focus group. Items were improved by interviewing ten GPs with thinking-aloud-method. A personal case vignette related to a complex and uncertainty situation was introduced. The final questionnaire was administered to 228 GPs in Germany. Factorial validity was calculated with explorative and confirmatory factor analysis. The results of the Communicating and Dealing with Uncertainty (CoDU) – questionnaire were compared with the scales of the ‘Physician Reaction to Uncertainty’ (PRU) questionnaire and with the personality traits which were determined with the Big Five Inventory (BFI-K).

Results

The items could be assigned to four scales with varying internal consistency, namely ‘communicating uncertainty’ (Cronbach alpha 0.79), ‘diagnostic action’ (0.60), ‘intuition’ (0.39) and ‘extended social anamnesis’ (0.69). Neuroticism was positively associated with all PRU scales ‘anxiety due to uncertainty’ (Pearson correlation 0.487), ‘concerns about bad outcomes’ (0.488), ‘reluctance to disclose uncertainty to patients’ (0.287), ‘reluctance to disclose mistakes to physicians’ (0.212) and negatively associated with the CoDU scale ‘communicating uncertainty’ (−0.242) (p<0.01 for all). ‘Extraversion’ (0.146; p<0.05), ‘agreeableness’ (0.145, p<0.05), ‘conscientiousness’ (0.168, p<0.05) and ‘openness to experience’ (0.186, p<0.01) were significantly positively associated with ‘communicating uncertainty’. ‘Extraversion’ (0.162), ‘consciousness’ (0.158) and ‘openness to experience’ (0.155) were associated with ‘extended social anamnesis’ (p<0.05).

Conclusion

The questionnaire allowed describing the diagnostic decision making process of general practitioners in complex situations. Personality traits are associated with diagnostic reasoning and communication with patients, which might be important for medical education and quality improvement purposes.