Work

Determining associations between Big Five personality traits and executive function in an undergraduate student sample

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Objective The present study sought to determine the associations between executive functioning and Big Five personality traits in an undergraduate sample. Method: Participants included 200 undergraduates (73% women), with a mean age of approximately 21 years. Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-44 and a psychological assessment battery, which included the Trail Making Test and the Semantic Fluency Test. Results: Results from multiple regression analyses suggested agreeableness was negatively associated with Semantic Fluency – Animals (β = −0.310, p < 0.001). Moreover, conscientiousness was positively associated with Trail Making Test B-A (β = 0.197, p = 0.016), but negatively associated with Trail Making Test A (β = −0.193, p = 0.017). Conclusions: Overall results identified that executive function association with personality varies by construct. Given conscientiousness’ differential associations within the executive function task performances, future research should examine the conscientious threshold that would result in psychological symptomatology associated with extreme lows and highs in conscientiousness.

Source: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society

DOI: 10.1017/s135561772400047x

Authors: Emma Quarles, Samuel J. West, Larry Keen

Institutions: Virginia State University, Virginia Commonwealth University

Language: English

Topic: Personality Traits and Psychology

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Awards: G2035714575, G5456007249