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Updated: May 28, 2026

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
The effect of age and personality on the main cognitive processes in drivers
Marcin Biernacki1, Adam Tarnowski
1Military Institute of Aviation Medicine, Warszawa, Poland. mpbiernacki@gmail.com
Objectives:
The purpose of this study is the evaluation of how the decline of cognitive abilities caused by aging is moderated by biologically determined personality dimensions: Neuroticism (N) and Extraversion (E).
Materials And Methods:
The research was conducted with the participation of 160 men in good physical health, professional drivers, aged 20-70 (Mean = 40, SD = 11). Personality traits were measured using Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire - Revised (EPQ-R), while Ravens Progressive Matrices, Go/noGo Task and Peripheral Perception Test were used to evaluate cognitive processes. The score of Ravens Progressive Matrices was treated as a control variable.
Results:
The results of the study, based on a Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis, indicate that besides the intelligence level, age is the best predictor of cognitive functioning level and that this influence is additionally moderated by the N trait level as well as, less frequently, by the interaction of age and E.
Conclusion:
This means that high N trait level increases the influence of age on cognitive functions decline. When the N trait level was low, the age differences in measures of cognitive performance were not significant. Thus, the level of N trait may play an important role in the process of cognitive aging. The results are discussed in the context of a driving safety research.
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