Can an Old Dog Learn (and Want to Experience) New Tricks? Cognitive Training Increases Openness to Experience in Older Adults

Overview

Journal Psychol Aging

Publisher American Psychological Association

Specialty Geriatrics

Date 2012 Jan 19

PMID 22251379

Citations 56

Authors

Joshua J Jackson

Patrick L Hill

Brennan R Payne

Brent W Roberts

Elizabeth A L Stine-Morrow

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The present study investigated whether an intervention aimed to increase cognitive ability in older adults also changes the personality trait of openness to experience. Older adults completed a 16-week program in inductive reasoning training supplemented by weekly crossword and Sudoku puzzles. Changes in openness to experience were modeled across four assessments over 30 weeks using latent growth curve models. Results indicate that participants in the intervention condition increased in the trait of openness compared with a waitlist control group. The study is one of the first to demonstrate that personality traits can change through nonpsychopharmocological interventions.

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