Fleming Kimberly A, Heintzelman Samantha J, Bartholow Bruce D
University of Missouri.
J Pers. 2016 Jun;84(3):348-60. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12163. Epub 2015 Feb 11.
Conscientiousness is characterized by self-control, organization, and goal orientation and is positively related to a number of health and professional outcomes. Thus, it is commonly suggested that conscientiousness should be related to superior executive functioning (EF) abilities, especially prepotent response inhibition. However, little empirical support for this notion has emerged, perhaps due to oversimplified and underspecified modeling of EF. The current study sought to fill this gap by testing relations between conscientiousness and three facets of EF using a nested factors latent variable approach. Participants (N = 420; Mage = 22.5; 50% male; 91% Caucasian) completed a measure of conscientiousness and nine EF tasks designed to tap three related yet distinguishable facets of EF: working memory updating, mental set shifting, and prepotent response inhibition. Structural equation models showed that conscientiousness is positively associated with the EF facet of mental set shifting but not response inhibition or working memory updating. Despite the common notion that conscientiousness is associated with cognitive abilities related to rigid control over impulses (i.e., inhibition), the current results suggest the cognitive ability most associated with conscientiousness is characterized by flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing environmental contingencies and task demands.
尽责性的特点是自我控制、有条理和目标导向，并且与许多健康和职业成果呈正相关。因此，人们普遍认为尽责性应与卓越的执行功能（EF）能力相关，尤其是优势反应抑制能力。然而，这一观点几乎没有得到实证支持，可能是由于对执行功能的建模过于简单和不够具体。本研究试图通过使用嵌套因子潜变量方法来测试尽责性与执行功能的三个方面之间的关系，以填补这一空白。参与者（N = 420；年龄中位数 = 22.5岁；50%为男性；91%为白种人）完成了一项尽责性测量以及九项执行功能任务，这些任务旨在挖掘执行功能的三个相关但可区分的方面：工作记忆更新、心理定势转换和优势反应抑制。结构方程模型表明，尽责性与心理定势转换这一执行功能方面呈正相关，但与反应抑制或工作记忆更新无关。尽管人们普遍认为尽责性与与对冲动进行严格控制相关的认知能力（即抑制）有关，但目前的结果表明，与尽责性最相关的认知能力的特点是灵活性以及适应不断变化的环境条件和任务要求的能力。
