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Personality traits moderate associations between word recall and subjective memory
Patrick L Hill1, Gabrielle N Pfund1,2, Patrick J Cruitt3
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Summary
Personality traits like extraversion and conscientiousness influence how older adults perceive their memory. Higher levels of these traits correlate with better memory performance and fewer perceived declines, especially in extraverts.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Gerontology
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Cognitive gerontology research necessitates understanding both objective memory performance and subjective perceptions of memory.
- Existing research shows modest correlations between subjective memory and actual performance, indicating variability in this relationship.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how personality traits (NEO Big Five) moderate the relationship between objective memory performance (word recall) and subjective memory perceptions (metamemory, memory decline) in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the St. Louis Personality and Aging Network (SPAN) study, including personality assessments, word recall tests, and metamemory questionnaires from 774 older adults (mean age 71.52).
Main Results:
- Extraversion and conscientiousness were positively linked to metamemory and word recall, and negatively linked to subjective memory decline.
- Extraversion moderated the association between word recall and memory capacity/complaints, weakening the objective-subjective link in highly extraverted individuals.
Conclusions:
- Personality significantly shapes subjective cognitive beliefs in aging adults.
- Understanding personality's role is crucial for interpreting the relationship between objective cognitive function and self-perceptions of memory.
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