Journal article
Specifying Associations Between Conscientiousness and Executive Functioning: Mental Set Shifting, Not Prepotent Response Inhibition or Working Memory Updating
Journal of personality, Vol.84(3), pp.348-360
06/2016
DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12163
PMCID: PMC4492903
PMID: 25564728
Abstract
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; M-age=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.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Specifying Associations Between Conscientiousness and Executive Functioning: Mental Set Shifting, Not Prepotent Response Inhibition or Working Memory Updating
- Creators
- Kimberly A. Fleming - University of MissouriSamantha J. Heintzelman - University of MissouriBruce D. Bartholow - University of Missouri
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of personality, Vol.84(3), pp.348-360
- DOI
- 10.1111/jopy.12163
- PMID
- 25564728
- PMCID
- PMC4492903
- NLM abbreviation
- J Pers
- ISSN
- 0022-3506
- eISSN
- 1467-6494
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 13
- Grant note
- P60AA011998; F31 AA022551 / National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/2016
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984446451202771
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