The Relationship between Personality and Short-Term Memory: The Role of Traits and Reflexive Characteristic Adaptations (in Russian)

Abstract

Although investigators traditionally pay attention to the relationship between cognitive processes and personality, the review of  the existing literature uncovers a lack of research on the links between personality traits and short-term memory, as compared to the ample studies of the role which the working memory’s central executive (Baddeley, 2003) plays regarding personality. In addition, these studies mostly examined particular traits or conventional personality taxonomies rather than their possible derivatives. In this regard, the present study addresses the role of reflexive characteristic adaptations as a structural element of personality system in terms of the five-factor theory (McCrae & Costa, 1996, 2013).  Spatial short-term memory, measured with Corsi test, correlated (N = 1,030) with neuroticism and low openness to experience. On the contrary, verbal short-term memory, measured with the Sternberg task, correlated negatively with conscientiousness and agreeableness. Therefore, as compared to central executive, an increase in its slave subsystems―spatial short-term memory and verbal short-term memory―correlated with decreased agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and emotional stability.  Moreover, short-term memory demonstrated a range of links with reflexive characteristic adaptations including direct, indirect (mediated by traits), and compensatory (compared to traits) correlations. In particular, although neuroticism did not relate to verbal short-term memory, a negative attitude toward neuroticism did relate to this type of memory. In a similar fashion, although agreeableness did not relate to spatial short-term memory, a negative meta-attitude toward agreeableness (i.e., an attitude ascribed to one’s parents) did relate to this type of memory. A negative link between conscientiousness and verbal short-term memory was supplemented with a positive attitude toward conscientiousness. The present findings are analysed in the context of previous studies, future implications and perspectives are discussed.