Five-factor model personality traits and verbal fluency in 10 cohorts

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Personality traits are linked to cognitive outcomes throughout life.
• Previous research on personality and cognition has emphasized memory.
• Verbal fluency, a key cognitive marker, has been less explored in relation to personality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between Five Factor Model personality traits and verbal fluency.
• To examine this association across the adult lifespan.
• To identify if this relationship differs based on age or education level.

Main Methods:

• Meta-analysis of 10 cohorts (11 samples) with over 90,000 participants (ages 16-101).
• Participants completed personality trait assessments and verbal fluency tasks (semantic and letter).
• Statistical analyses including meta-analysis and moderation analysis were performed.

Main Results:

• Lower Neuroticism and higher Extraversion, Openness, and Conscientiousness were associated with better semantic fluency.
• These associations generally held for letter fluency.
• The personality-verbal fluency link was stronger in older adults and those with lower education.

Conclusions:

• Personality traits demonstrate robust and replicable associations with verbal fluency across diverse samples and age groups.
• These findings highlight the pervasive influence of personality on cognitive functions beyond memory.
• The stronger associations in older adults and lower education groups suggest implications for cognitive vulnerability.