Evidence For Individual Differences Research Articles

Individual differences in attention control: A meta-analysis and re-analysis of latent variable studies.

A meta-analysis and re-analysis of prior latent variable studies was conducted in order to assess whether there is evidence for individual differences in broad attention control abilities. Data from 90 independent samples and over 23,000 participants suggested that most (84.4%) prior studies find evidence for a coherent attention control factor with average factor loadings of .51. This latent attention control factor was related to other cognitive ability factors including working memory, shifting, fluid intelligence, long-term memory, reading comprehension, and processing speed, as well as to self-reports of task-unrelated thoughts and task specific motivation. Further re-analyses and meta-analyses suggest that the results remained largely unchanged when considering various possible measurement issues. Examining the factor structure of attention control suggested evidence for sub-components of attention control (restraining, constraining and sustaining attention) which could be accounted for a by a higher-order factor. Additional re-analyses suggested that attention control represents a broad ability within models of cognitive abilities. Overall, these results provide evidence for attention control abilities as an important individual differences construct.

Examining individual differences in metaperceptive accuracy using the social meta-accuracy model.

To what extent do individuals differ in understanding how others see them and who is particularly good at it? Answering these questions about the "good metaperceiver" is relevant given the beneficial outcomes of meta-accuracy. However, there likely is more than one type of the good metaperceiver: One who knows the specific impressions they make more than others do (dyadic meta-accuracy) and one who knows their reputation more than others do (generalized meta-accuracy). To identify and understand these good metaperceivers, we introduce the social meta-accuracy model (SMAM) as a statistical and conceptual framework and apply the SMAM to four samples of first impression interactions. As part of our demonstration, we also investigated the routes to and the correlates of both types of good metaperceivers. Results from SMAM show that, overall, people were able to detect the unique and general first impressions they made, but there was little evidence for individual differences in dyadic meta-accuracy in a first impression. In contrast, there were substantial individual differences in generalized meta-accuracy, and this ability was largely explained by being transparent (i.e., good metaperceivers were seen as they saw themselves). We also observed some evidence that good generalized metaperceivers in a first impression tend to be extraverted and popular. This work demonstrated that the SMAM is a useful tool for identifying and understanding both types of good metaperceivers and paves the way for future work on individual differences in meta-accuracy in other contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Evidence of individual differences in the long-term social, psychological, and cognitive consequences of child maltreatment

BackgroundThe prevalence and consequences of child maltreatment are alarming, but evidence from studies with long follow-up intervals are limited. This study examined the long-term consequences of child maltreatment in relation to age of onset and follow-up interval.MethodsThe exposed group comprised 63 individuals (aged 13–34 years) with a first-time diagnosis of child maltreatment between 2001 and 2010, whereas the unexposed group comprised 63 individuals who were matched upon gender, age of onset, follow-up period, and poverty status at the index hospital admission but had no medical records of maltreatment in Hong Kong. The participants completed a set of questionnaires on executive functions and mental health and provided blood samples for measurement of IL-6 and IL-10 levels during a health assessment session.ResultsCompared with the unexposed group, the exposed group reported poorer maternal care during childhood (β = −4.64, p < 0.001) and had lower family support (β = −2.97, p = 0.010) and higher inflammatory responses (IL-6: β = 0.15, p = 0.001; IL-10: β = 0.11, p = 0.011) at follow-up. Additionally, the associations of childhood maltreatment exposure with family support and maternal care differed by age of onset and the length of time since exposure.ConclusionsThis matched cohort study highlights childhood maltreatment as a risk factor for systemic inflammation and an indicator of suboptimal social environment, both of which could persist over a long period of time.

Apophenia, absorption and anxiety: Evidence for individual differences in positive and negative experiences of Hallucinogen Persisting Perceptual Disorder

Abstract Background and Aims Little is known about individual differences in Hallucinogen Persisting Perceptual Disorder (HPPD). This study investigated visual processing style and personality across two HPPD types (HPPD I and HPPD II) and a Non-HPPD group. Methods An online survey was delivered to participants sourced from online HPPD and psychedelic user groups and forums (N = 117). Using one-way ANOVA, respondents were compared across four measures of individual difference. Using logistic regression, a range of visual symptoms and experiences were investigated as potential predictors of group categorisation. Results The HPPD I group had higher absorption and visual apophenia scores than the other groups and was predicted by higher drug use. The HPPD II group showed significantly higher trait anxiety than both other groups. Across the HPPD groups, HPPD II categorisation was also predicted by increased negative precipitating experiences, lack of prior knowledge and pre-existing anxiety diagnoses. Conclusions Anxiety, negative precipitating experiences and lack of prior knowledge are associated with negative experiences of persistent visual symptoms following hallucinogen use, whilst higher absorption and visual apophenia are associated with positive or neutral experiences. Together these findings indicate that differences in personality may play a role in determining an individual's experience of HPPD, highlighting the role of individual difference research in expanding knowledge around HPPD.

Examining reactivity to the measurement of physical activity and sedentary behavior among women in midlife with elevated risk for cardiovascular disease

Objectives To estimate the extent of reactivity to measurement of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior among women in midlife with elevated risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Design Secondary analysis of a 10-day observational study of PA and sedentary behavior. Main Outcome Measures PA (steps, minutes of light PA, total minutes of moderate-to- vigorous PA [MVPA]) and percent time in sedentary behavior per day were assessed using ActiGraph GT3X tri-axial accelerometers in 75 women in midlife with elevated CVD risk (e.g. hypertension; MAge = 51.61, MBMI = 34.02 kg/m2). Two-level multilevel models were used to test for evidence of reactivity, with the addition of random effects to test for evidence of individual differences in observed trends. Results All outcomes showed linear trends across days (ps < 0.001), though this masked what appeared to be meaningful dropoff after Day 1 or Day 2 (with little difference between subsequent days; srs ranging from 0.15 to 0.32). The random effect was significant only for percent time in sedentary behavior (χ 2[1] = 10.40, p = 0.02). Conclusions Consistent small to medium effects were found for all PA and sedentary behavior outcomes, underscoring the importance of considering measurement reactivity in populations with elevated CVD risk.

The effect of autistic traits on disembedding and mental rotation in neurotypical women and men

Recent data has revealed dissociations between social and non-social skills in both autistic and neurotypical populations. In the present study, we investigated whether specific visuospatial abilities, such as figure disembedding and mental rotation, are differently related to social and non-social autistic traits, in neurotypical women and men. University students (N = 426) completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), figure disembedding and mental rotation of two-dimensional figures tasks. AQ social skills (AQ-social) and attention-to-details (AQ-attention) subscales were used as measures of social and non-social autistic traits, respectively. Mental rotation was affected by a significant interaction between sex, social and non-social traits. When non-social traits were above the mean (+ 1 SD), no sex differences in mental rotation were found. Instead, below this value, sex differences depended on the social traits, with men on average outperforming women at middle-to-high social traits, and with a comparable performance, and with women on average outperforming men, at lower social traits. A small positive correlation between figure disembedding and social traits was observed in the overall sample. These results are interpreted in terms of the hyper-systemizing theory of autism and contribute to the evidence of individual differences in the cognitive style of autistic people and neurotypical people with autistic traits.

Precision Medicine in Diabetes: state of the art based on recent Consensus

There has long been strong emphasis on personalization in the treatment of diabetes; evidence of individual differences in symptomatology, presentation, behavior, preferences, social status, response to treatment, comorbidity or clinical course have led clinicians to seek greater focus on the individual. However, this approach cannot yet be called Precision Medicine in diabetes. In this article we want to describe the state of the art of Precision Medicine starting from the two Consensus documents published by the Precision Medicine in Diabetes Initiative (PMDI) born in 2018 within American Diabetes Association (ADA) and European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) with the aim of understanding the state of the art, the possibilities of application and future lines of research in the construction of a precision medicine applied to diabetes. The five pillars of precision medicine applied to diabetes will be examined: precision diagnosis, precision prevention, precision treatment, precision prognostics and precision monitoring. Following will be described the fields of applications and the possible developments and insights, also within italian diabetological reality. KEY WORDS precision medicine; diabetes; personalization; diagnosis; prevention.

Mental imagery and visual working memory abilities appear to be unrelated in childhood: Evidence for individual differences in strategy use

We addressed two research gaps related to mental imagery (MI) in children. First, research has investigated the development of MI employing a component model (image generation, image maintenance, mental rotation, image scanning), however knowledge of how components develop and their associations throughout childhood (age 6 to 11 years) is incomplete. Second, despite positive associations in adults, the relationship between MI and visual working memory (VWM) has not been investigated in children. Using a novel MI task battery sensitive to the visual precision of MI, we found evidence for a separable-component model of MI in children, with some components becoming integrated in adulthood. Contrary to expectations, there were no significant associations between components of MI and VWM in either childhood or in adults. Our findings extend current understanding of development of MI and highlight the importance of considering individual differences in strategy-use when establishing the relationship between MI and VWM.

Personality and Cognitive Profiles of Animal-Assisted Intervention Dogs and Pet Dogs in an Unsolvable Task.

Simple SummaryDogs are genetically predisposed to communicate with humans in collaborative ways, and life experience enhances this ability. The role of canine personality on this predisposition is unknown. This study used a test where dogs encountered an unsolvable problem. The aim of the study was to understand whether dog personalities could predict their tendency to look at the owner, approach and engage with the task, and show distress during the task. We also compared dogs with life experience in Animal Assistance Interventions and dogs with no work, training, or sport experience. The results indicate that the dogs with a personality more sensitive to uncertain situations looked at the owner more and engaged less often with the task, suggesting they were expecting directions from the owner. Dogs with a personality more sensitive to obtaining rewards and avoiding punishment looked at the owner less often. Dogs with a high tendency to avoid punishment also abandoned and returned more often to the task, possibly as a sign of frustration. Finally, Animal-Assisted Intervention dogs looked more at the owner and had fewer task orientations, confirming the enhancing effect on looking. As personality differences reflect genetic predispositions, it is very important to know the role of personality on cognitive traits that are important to dogs that work and collaborate with humans.Dogs are biologically predisposed to communicate with humans in cooperative contexts. They show individual differences in dog–human communication and inhibition, potentially enhanced by life experience, e.g., Animal-Assisted Interventions. This study aimed to investigate whether dogs’ personality, defined by biologically meaningful neural circuits described in the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality (RST), predicted dogs’ communication, task orientation, emotional state, and approach of an unsolvable task. We also investigated the differences between dogs experienced in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) and inexperienced dogs. The results indicated that a high sensitivity to the RST personality trait related to managing uncertainty (Behavioural Inhibition System, BIS) predicted fewer task orientations but increased referential and non-referential looking, which we interpreted as a way to obtain directions from the owner. Conversely, a high sensitivity to the traits reflecting tendencies to approach rewards (Behavioural Approach System, BAS) and avoid punishment (Fight–Flight–Freeze System, FFFS) predicted lower looking. High sensitivity to the FFFS also predicted more frequent task orientations, which we interpreted as frustration. Finally, the dogs in the AAI program looked more at their owner and were less oriented towards the task. These results provide empirical evidence of individual differences tied to the psychobiological personality traits in canine cognitive skills. Understanding such cognitive profiles may have an enormous impact on activities that rely upon dog–human collaborative interaction.

The person behind the nodule: a narrative review of the psychological impact of lung cancer screening.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality globally, responsible for an estimated 1.76 million deaths worldwide in 2018 alone. Screening adults at high risk of lung cancer using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) significantly reduces lung cancer mortality by finding the disease at an early, treatable stage. Many countries are actively considering whether to implement screening for their high-risk populations in light of the recently published Dutch-Belgian trial ‘NELSON’. In deciding whether to implement a national screening programme, policymakers must weigh up the evidence for the relative risks posed to the entire screened population, including the potential psychological burden. This narrative review aimed to critically summarise the evidence for both negative and positive psychological responses experienced throughout the LDCT screening pathway, to describe their magnitude, duration and clinical relevance, and to draw out different aspects of measurement design crucial to their interpretation. A further aim was to discuss the available evidence for individual differences in psychological response, as well as interventions designed to promote psychological well-being. In summary, there was no evidence that the LDCT screening process caused adverse psychological outcomes overall, although those receiving indeterminate and suspicious LDCT results did report clinically raised anxiety and lung cancer-specific distress in the short-term. There was early evidence that demographic factors, smoking status and screening-ineligibility could be associated with individual differences in propensity to experience distress. Qualitative data suggested health beliefs could be modifiable mediators of these individual differences, but their aetiology requires quantitative and prospective research. There was also some evidence of positive psychological responses that could be capitalised on, and of the potential for person-centred communication interventions to achieve this. Further research needs to be embedded in real-world LDCT lung cancer screening services and use condition-specific measures to monitor outcomes and test evidence-based communication interventions in promoting psychological well-being.

Patterns of sexting and sexual behaviors in youth: A Latent Class Analysis

IntroductionA sizable minority of youth are sexting; however there are likely large individual differences in sexting and sexual behaviors, yet to be captured. A Latent Class Analysis was used to identify subgroups of youth characterized by differential engagement in sexting and sexual behaviors. MethodsParticipants were an ethnically diverse sample of 894 youth (55.8% female; Mage = 17.04, SD = 0.77) from a longitudinal survey study in southeast Texas. Latent classes were identified through participants’ responses to the following indicator variables: sending, receiving, and requesting sexts, sexual activity, contraception use, ≥ three partners, and substance use prior to sexual activity. Gender, ethnicity, impulsivity, and living situation were analyzed as predictors, and depressive symptoms as an outcome, of class membership. ResultsThe analysis revealed four distinct classes: No sexting-Low sex (42.2%), Sexting-Low sex (4.5%), No sexting-Moderately risky sex (28.3%), and Sexting-Moderately risky sex (24.9%). Gender and ethnicity predicted class membership wherein females and ethnic minority youth were less likely to be in groups displaying higher rates of sexting. Impulsivity and living situation predicted class membership, such that youth reporting higher impulsivity and living in a situation other than with two biological parents were less likely to be in classes displaying low sexting and sexual behaviors. Group membership predicted depressive symptoms. ConclusionsResults suggest that not all youth who are sexting are having sex, and not all youth who are having sex are sexting. Evidence of individual differences in youth sexual behaviors should inform educational initiatives aimed at teaching youth about sexual and online health.

Little parental response to anthropogenic noise in an urban songbird, but evidence for individual differences in sensitivity

Anthropogenic noise exposure has well-documented behavioral, physiological and fitness effects on organisms. However, whether different noise regimes evoke distinct responses has rarely been investigated, despite implications for tailoring noise mitigation policies. Urban animals might display low responsiveness to certain anthropogenic noise regimes, especially consistent noise (e.g. freeway noise), but might remain more sensitive to more diverse noise regimes. Additionally, whether individuals differ in noise sensitivity is a rarely explored issue, which is important to fully understand organismal responses to noise. To address these knowledge gaps, we used a field experiment to measure how urban great tits (Parus major) altered parental behaviors in response to two noise regimes: consistent freeway noise, and a diverse anthropogenic noise regime that incorporated variability in noise type and temporal occurrence. We also evaluated whether sex, age, or a well-described personality trait, novel environment exploration behavior, were associated with responses to noise, although our power to assess individual differences in responses was somewhat limited. We found no evidence for mean population-level changes in nestling provisioning behaviors during either noise treatment. However, despite this overall canalization of behavior, there was evidence for individual differences in noise sensitivity, particularly during the diverse noise treatment. Females and birds that explored a novel environment more rapidly (fast explorers) reduced nestling provisioning rate more relative to baseline levels than males and slow explorers during the diverse urban noise, but not during the consistent freeway noise. Furthermore, first year breeders and fast explorers displayed larger increases in latency to return to the nest box relative to baseline conditions during the diverse noise only. Results suggest that urban animal populations might become overall tolerant to anthropogenic noise, but that certain individuals within these populations nonetheless remain sensitive to certain types of noise exposure. CapsuleIn an urban songbird, we found no population-level changes in nestling provisioning behavior during noise exposure, but did find evidence for individual differences in noise sensitivity.

An N-of-1 study of daily alcohol consumption following minimum unit pricing implementation in Scotland.

Background and aimsWithin the context of Scotland's policy change to implement a minimum unit price (MUP) per unit of alcohol sold in licensed premises, this study used an N‐of‐1 design to assess between‐person differences in the psychological and social factors associated with daily alcohol consumption.Design and settingA mixed‐methods approach combined N‐of‐1 observational studies, comprising daily surveys followed by qualitative social network interviews (not reported here). Peer researchers with lived experience of substance use were involved in the study design and fieldwork was conducted in towns and rural areas in the East of Scotland.Participants/casesTwenty‐five adults with current or recent history of alcohol dependence recruited for three 12‐week waves: 11 in wave 1 (pre‐MUP), 11 in wave 2 (pre‐ and post‐MUP) and three in wave 3 (post MUP).MeasurementsGender, age, alcohol and other drug use history. Daily surveys for 12 weeks captured information about factors in the last 24 hours, e.g. amount and type of alcohol consumed, stress, social contact.FindingsEach participant was in the daily survey for a mean of 64 days [standard deviation (SD) = 42; median = 59], with a response rate of 48%; 15 participants provided sufficient data for analysis. Factors related to daily alcohol consumption differed between individuals. Models suggested that some individuals with high initial consumption reduced drinking after MUP, but explanatory factors differed, e.g. changing motivation was important for some, while alcohol availability was important for others.ConclusionsAdapting N‐of‐1 methods for an observational study uncovered differences in alcohol consumption change before and after minimum unit pricing implementation in Scotland, evidence of individual differences in the factors relating to alcohol consumption patterns and some evidence that post‐MUP consumption changes may be related to changing psychosocial factors.

Evidence for Individual Differences in Behaviour and for Behavioural Syndromes in Adult Shelter Cats.

Simple SummaryAn important activity of modern animal shelters is the development of successful adoption programmes. In this regard, there is a need for reliable tests of individual differences in behaviour to help match the “personality” of potential adoptees with the lifestyle and needs of prospective owners; a companion animal for an elderly person remaining at home requires a different match than a pet for someone who will be away most of the day; a pet kept exclusively indoors in a small apartment requires a different match than an indoor/outdoor pet. In the present study, we repeatedly tested 31 mixed-breed adult cats of both sexes and a wide range of ages in five behavioural tests at a shelter in Mexico City, Mexico. The tests were designed to be easily implemented by shelter staff, and were short and low cost and intended to simulate common situations in a pet cat’s everyday life. We found consistent (stable) individual differences in the cats’ behaviour on all five tests, as well as correlations between their behaviour across tests. This suggests that such tests may contribute to reliably characterizing the “personality” of individual cats and so help increase the rate of successful adoptions. Consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour have been previously reported in adult shelter cats. In this study, we aimed to assess whether repeatable individual differences in behaviours exhibited by shelter cats in different situations were interrelated, forming behavioural syndromes. We tested 31 adult cats in five different behavioural tests, repeated three times each: a struggle test where an experimenter restrained the cat, a separation/confinement test where the cat spent 2 min in a pet carrier, a mouse test where the cat was presented with a live mouse in a jar, and two tests where the cat reacted to an unfamiliar human who remained either passive or actively approached the cat. Individual differences in behaviour were consistent (repeatable) across repeated trials for each of the tests. We also found associations between some of the behaviours shown in the different tests, several of which appeared to be due to differences in human-oriented behaviours. This study is the first to assess the presence of behavioural syndromes using repeated behavioural tests in different situations common in the daily life of a cat, and which may prove useful in improving the match between prospective owner and cat in shelter adoption programmes.

Evaluation of variability in individual response to treatments in the clinical high-risk state for psychosis: A meta-analysis

BackgroundIndividuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P) may differ considerably in their response to indicated preventive interventions. No studies have tested this. MethodPRISMA-compliant systematic review of the Web of Science (MEDLINE), PsycInfo, CENTRAL and unpublished/gray literature up to 1 September 2019. RCTs in CHR-P individuals, reporting on attenuated positive psychotic symptoms were included. The primary outcome was the variability ratio between the variance of the severity of attenuated positive psychotic symptoms in the indicated intervention condition vs the control condition (needs-based interventions, NBI) at 6 and 12 months. Random effect models, C statistics, meta-regressions/sensitivity analyses and Cochrane Risk of Bias assessment were performed. ResultsOverall, 1707 individuals from 14 RCTs (57% male, mean age = 20) reporting on the impact of preventive interventions on attenuated positive psychotic symptoms were included. At 6 months, the variability ratio was 1 (95% CI 0.89–1.12). At 12 months, the variability ratio was higher in the indicated intervention compared to the NBI condition but not statistically different: 1.09 (95% CI 0.94–1.25). Between-study heterogeneity was serious (I2 = 51% and 68%, respectively), but sensitivity analysis suggested it may be related to two outlying studies or larger variability in the response to treatment in small studies. ConclusionsThere is no evidence for individual differences in CHR-P response to preventive treatments. Although the study cannot exclude that subsets of CHR-P individuals may respond differently to preventive treatments, it indicates that the average effect of preventive interventions is a reasonable estimate for the CHR-P individual.

The rubber hand illusion is influenced by self-recognition

Susceptibility to the Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) demonstrates that body ownership can be modulated by visuotactile inputs. In contrast to body-like images, other objects cannot be embodied suggesting that crossmodal interactions on body ownership are based on a ‘goodness-of-fit’ mechanism relative to one’s own body. However, it is not clear whether visual self-recognition influences susceptibility to the RHI, although evidence for individual differences in the perceptual body image on the RHI suggests that this may be the case. We investigated the role of self-recognition on the subjective experience of the RHI and measured proprioceptive drift and onset time of the RHI between two groups, one with the ability to identify an image of their own hand and the other without this ability. A typical RHI response was found overall with no group difference in the subjective experience of the RHI. However, a larger proprioceptive drift and an earlier onset time for the RHI was found for the non-recognisers than the self-recognition group. Our findings provide evidence for a link between a visual representation of one’s own body in long-term memory and plasticity of the body representation.

Music-evoked autobiographical memories in everyday life

Music can be a particularly effective cue for bringing one back to the sights and sounds of events from across the lifespan. These music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) have typically been studied within laboratory experiments and clinical settings, often using experimenter-selected music to cue autobiographical memories. The present work took a more naturalistic approach, by studying the situational aspects, contents, and features of MEAMs within the course of participants’ everyday lives. Participants ( N = 31) recorded details of their MEAMs and music listening habits in a diary for 7 days. MEAMs were experienced, on average, once per day and were cued by a wide variety of music, often during routine tasks such as traveling and housework. Everyday MEAMs were typically rated as highly vivid and involuntary and were often accompanied by positive or mixed emotions (e.g., happiness, nostalgia) and social themes. Some evidence of individual differences was found, with older participants rating their MEAMs as more vivid and accompanied by more positive emotions. The features reported within everyday MEAMs replicated several previous findings on MEAMs and autobiographical memory more generally, indicating that this naturalistic method was able to capture genuine MEAM experiences. Implications for future research on naturally occurring MEAMs are discussed.

Working Memory Capacity as a Determinant of Proactive Interference and Auditory Distraction.

Individual differences in working memory capacity are related to performance on a range of elemental and higher order cognitive tasks. The current experiment tests the assumptions of two theoretical approaches to working memory capacity: working memory as executive attention and working memory as temporary binding. These approaches are examined using a short-term updating task where proactive interference is manipulated, such that old responses have to be suppressed in favour of new responses. A second source of distraction is introduced by way of irrelevant, to-be-ignored background speech that accompanies presentation of the list items. This speech reinforces either the to-be-remembered item on the current list, or the to-be-suppressed item. Working memory capacity was significantly related to overall level of correct performance on the short-term task, and to the degree of proactive interference experienced. However, there was no evidence for individual differences in the ability to suppress the interfering foil, nor in priming effects associated with the irrelevant speech. The results provided little support for the working memory capacity as executive attention perspective, some evidence for the binding perspective, but also evidence supporting the fact that some effects of distraction are not under voluntary control.

Age Differences in the Variance of Personality Characteristics

In contrast to mean–level comparisons, age group differences in personality trait variance have received only passing research interest. This may seem surprising because individual differences in personality characteristics are exactly what most of personality psychology is about. Because different proposed mechanisms of personality development may entail either increases or decreases in variance over time, the current study is exploratory in nature. Age differences in variance were tested by comparing the standard deviations of the five–factor model domain and facet scales across two age groups (20 to 30 years old versus 50 to 60 years old). Samples from three cultures (Estonia, the Czech Republic and Russia) were employed, and two methods (self–reports and informant–reports) were used. The results showed modest convergence across samples and methods. Age group differences were significant for 11 of 150 facet–level comparisons but never consistently for the same facets. No significant age group differences were observed for the five–factor model domain variance. Therefore, there is little evidence for individual differences in personality characteristics being systematically smaller or larger in older as opposed to younger people. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding personality development. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

Latent profiles of executive functioning in healthy young adults: evidence of individual differences in hemispheric asymmetry.

Two competing theoretical models of individual differences in executive functioning (EF) were examined: the Prefrontal Convexity Model and the Hemispheric Asymmetry Model. Neurologically healthy individuals (N=315; mean age 20.8) completed a modified switching task (MST) and the Attention Network Test (ANT) in a single testing session. Data analysis was conducted in two phases. In the first phase (model identification), latent profile analysis was applied to MST variables measuring the abilities to form, switch, and maintain mental sets under conditions designed to tax left or right hemisphere resources. In the second phase (model validation), participant clusters obtained from the first phase were compared on the ANT. The Model Identification phase yielded a 3-profile solution consistent with the Hemispheric Asymmetry Model. Profile 1 (N=203) was characterized by average EF performances. Profile 2 (N=43) revealed a set maintenance weakness under non-verbal conditions. Profile 3 (N=38) demonstrated weaknesses in cognitive flexibility combined with poor executive performances under verbal conditions. The Model Validation phase confirmed group differences. Profile 1 demonstrated average EF performances. Profile 2 demonstrated distractibility and decreased alertness, consistent with a right hemisphere weakness. Profile 3 demonstrated cognitive rigidity in the absence of external cues, consistent with a left hemisphere weakness. Individual differences in EF appear to follow a Hemispheric Asymmetry Model of EF among neurologically healthy adults. Investigating the relationship between hemispherically mediated executive functions and other individual difference factors known to confer health risk or resilience could inform numerous disciplines within the field of psychology.