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The Ups and Downs of Cognitive Function: Neuroticism and Negative Affect Drive Performance Inconsistency

The Ups and Downs of Cognitive Function: Neuroticism and Negative Affect Drive Performance... Objectives: Response time inconsistency (RTI)—or trial-to-trial variability in speeded performance—is increasingly recog- nized as an indicator of transient lapses of attention, cognitive health status, and central nervous system integrity, as well as a potential early indicator of normal and pathological cognitive aging. Comparatively, little research has examined person- ality predictors of RTI across adulthood. Methods: We evaluated the association between the personality trait neuroticism and RTI in a community-dwelling sample of 317 adults between the ages of 19–83 and tested for two indirect pathways through negative affect (NA) and cognitive interference (CI). Results: The personality trait neuroticism predicted greater RTI independent of mean response time performance and demographic covariates; the results were age-invariant. Furthermore, NA (but not CI) accounted for this association and moderated mediation model results indicated that older adults were more vulnerable to the adverse effects of NA. Discussion: Neuroticism predicts greater RTI irrespective of mean performance and this effect is driven largely by height- ened negative emotionality that may be particularly detrimental for older adults. Keywords: Cognition, Neuroticism, Inconsistency, Personality, Response time In the field of cognitive aging, numerous studies have in the personality trait neuroticism as a predictor of trial- reported associations between performance inconsist- http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences Oxford University Press

The Ups and Downs of Cognitive Function: Neuroticism and Negative Affect Drive Performance Inconsistency

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References (83)

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
ISSN
1079-5014
eISSN
1758-5368
DOI
10.1093/geronb/gby032
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Objectives: Response time inconsistency (RTI)—or trial-to-trial variability in speeded performance—is increasingly recog- nized as an indicator of transient lapses of attention, cognitive health status, and central nervous system integrity, as well as a potential early indicator of normal and pathological cognitive aging. Comparatively, little research has examined person- ality predictors of RTI across adulthood. Methods: We evaluated the association between the personality trait neuroticism and RTI in a community-dwelling sample of 317 adults between the ages of 19–83 and tested for two indirect pathways through negative affect (NA) and cognitive interference (CI). Results: The personality trait neuroticism predicted greater RTI independent of mean response time performance and demographic covariates; the results were age-invariant. Furthermore, NA (but not CI) accounted for this association and moderated mediation model results indicated that older adults were more vulnerable to the adverse effects of NA. Discussion: Neuroticism predicts greater RTI irrespective of mean performance and this effect is driven largely by height- ened negative emotionality that may be particularly detrimental for older adults. Keywords: Cognition, Neuroticism, Inconsistency, Personality, Response time In the field of cognitive aging, numerous studies have in the personality trait neuroticism as a predictor of trial- reported associations between performance inconsist-

Journal

The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social SciencesOxford University Press

Published: Jan 14, 2020

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