Personality and Cognitive Aging - A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

Abstract

We investigated effects of Extraversion, Neuroticism, and the Lie scale, from the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI), on level and change in late life cognition. The data (N=554) were drawn from two birth cohorts (1901/02, 1906/07) as part of the Gothenburg H70 study, where cognition was subsequently measured on five tests at ages 70, 75, and 79. Findings from multilevel models, controlling for sex and education, revealed that high Extraversion, Neuroticism and the Lie scale scores all predicted lower cognitive function at age 70. We found no association with rate of change. In addition, we found that simultaneous high scores on both Extraversion and Neuroticism was associated with poorer cognitive level. Conclusively, personality may affect test performance, but not necessarily cognitive decline.