The Association Between Five Factor Model Personality Traits and Verbal and Numeric Reasoning

ABSTRACT

Five-factor model (FFM) personality traits are related to basic cognitive functions and risk of cognitive impairment in late life. The present study addresses whether FFM traits are also associated with a more complex cognitive function, reasoning, across adulthood. We used seven samples to examine the relation between personality and verbal (total N= 39,177) and numeric (total N= 76,388) reasoning. A meta-analysis indicated higher Neuroticism was associated modestly with worse performance on verbal and numeric reasoning tasks. Openness was associated with better verbal reasoning and was unrelated to numeric reasoning. Surprisingly, Extraversion was associated modestly with worse performance in both domains, and Conscientiousness was essentially unrelated to reasoning. Agreeableness was unrelated to reasoning. There was significant heterogeneity across the samples but only limited evidence for moderation by age or sex. Consistent with other cognitive domains, the results suggested that Neuroticism is related to worse performance globally, whereas Openness tends to be associated with better verbal abilities. Among the unexpected findings was the better reasoning of introverts. The pattern also suggests that the common positive association between Conscientiousness and cognition does not extend to reasoning and suggests that Conscientiousness may support healthier cognitive aging through basic cognitive functions rather than through complex functions like reasoning.

KEYWORDS:

• Reasoning
• verbal abilities
• personality traits
• numeric reasoning
• meta-analysis

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the parent studies whose public data made this work possible: Health and Retirement Study (HRS): The Health and Retirement Study is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA-U01AG009740) and conducted by the University of Michigan. Understanding America Study (UAS): We thank the Center for Economic and Social Research at the University of Southern California for administering the UAS and the public access to the data. Cognition and Aging in the USA (CogUSA): We thank John McArdle, Willard Rodgers, and Robert Willis and ICPSR for making the data available to the public. Cognitive Function and Ageing Study in Wales (CFAS): CFAS is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. Wisconsin Longitudinal Study Graduate and Sibling samples (WLSG and WLSS): Since 1991, the WLS has been supported principally by the National Institute on Aging (AG-9775, AG-21079, AG-033285, and AG-041868), with additional support from the Vilas Estate Trust, the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 1992, data have been collected by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center. Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) is produced and distributed by the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. PSID was supported by the National Institutes of Health under grant number R01 HD069609 and R01 AG040213, and the National Science Foundation under award numbers SES 1157698 and 1623684. Midlife in the United States (MIDUS): MIDUS is sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development (MIDUS I), the National Institute on Aging (P01-AG020166; MIDUS II), and grants from the General Clinical Research Centers Program (M01-RR023942, M01-RR00865) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1TR000427). Understanding Society (US): We thank the UK Data Service and Understanding Society for access to the data used in this study. English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA): Funding for the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing is provided by the National Institute of Aging [grants 2RO1AG7644-01A1 and 2RO1AG017644] and a consortium of UK government departments coordinated by the Office for National Statistics. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the parent studies or funders.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R01AG053297 and R01AG068093. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging [R01AG053297,R01AG068093].