Age-cognition relations and the personality trait of Conscientiousness

Abstract

Increasing age has been found to correlate with a decrease in many cognitive abilities and an increase in the personality trait of Conscientiousness. The first goal of this study was to examine whether an age-related decline in cognitive abilities, in particular Fluid ability, accounts for the age-related increase in Conscientiousness. The second goal was to investigate whether the role of cognitive abilities in the relation between age and Conscientiousness is similar among people of different levels of education. Our results support the conclusion that the relation between age and Conscientiousness is mediated by fluid ability and working memory abilities, and that these effects are stronger in people with lower levels of education. Altogether, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that age differences in characteristics such as persistence, self-motivation and dutifulness may help compensate for age differences in cognition.