Personality determinants of subjective executive function in older adults

Abstract

Objectives: Problems in subjective executive function, the perceived cognitive control of mental processes for goal-directed behavior, may indicate cognitive impairment in older adulthood. Although, previous studies highlight the importance of personality on objective cognitive performance, no studies clarify their role with subjective executive function. To inform methods of early identification of cognitive impairment, this study explored how temperament and personality traits account for problems in subjective executive function.

Method: The current project examined the associations between temperament and personality on subjective executive function across two samples of community-dwelling older adults (65+ years, n₁ = 25, n₂ = 50). Both studies measured subjective executive function (Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult) and separately administered scales on temperament (Adult Temperament Questionnaire) and personality (Big Five Inventory).

Results: Concerning temperament, older adults higher in negative affect endorsed greater difficulty in subjective executive function. Regarding personality traits, older adults with higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness reported higher difficulty in subjective executive function.

Conclusion: Findings enhance our understanding of subtle cognitive changes and may aid in early detection. In particular, distressful inclinations were associated with more reported problems in executive function whereas problem-solving tendencies were inversely related. Future work should examine if enhanced negativity coupled with analytical disengagement predicts problems in subjective executive function over time.

Keywords:

• Subjective cognition
• executive function
• temperament
• personality
• psychosocial and cultural aspects
• older adults

Acknowledgements

The opinions, views, or comments expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions of funding departments. A special thank you to the UAB Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research in Aging and Mobility NIA 2 P30 AG022838, the UAB Department of Psychology, the Translational Research for Injury Prevention (TRIP) Laboratory, and NIA R01AG055398.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), NIA 2 P30 AG022838 and Georgia Tech for the US Department of Transportation, NIA R01AG055398.