Individual differences in working memory capacity predict personality

Understanding the relationships between personality and cognitive ability has implications for how we characterize and even diagnose cognitive impairment. While many studies have investigated relationships between personality and executive functions, few have directly studied personality in relation to working memory (WM), specifically. In addition, results from such studies have been inconclusive. The present study examined the relationships between WM and the Five Factor Model of personality in a large sample (n=354) of young adults. Results revealed that increased Neuroticism is associated with poorer WM performance, while higher Openness to Experience is associated with improved WM performance. Implications for dual mechanism theories of attentional control are discussed.