Personality traits and cognitive abilities A correlational study on facet level of traits

Abstract: The relation between Personality and Intelligence has interested researchers for decades. This study considers the relationship between the two constructs on a facet level. A nonclinical sample (N = 130) completed Swedish University Scale of Personality (SSP) (Gustavsson, 2000b) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, forth edition (WAIS-IV) (Wechsler, 2010). The result indicated only a modest significant negative correlation between the personality dimension Neuroticism and Verbal comprehensive index. The modest result might be explained by the informal test-taking situation, since test anxiety has been suggested to be a mediator for neuroticism and cognitive abilities. Further, on a facet level, a significant negative correlation was found between the trait somatic anxiety and to verbally express and understand vocabulary. Additionally, findings implied that the variable year of education was the most powerful predictor for verbal comprehension, which suggests the importance of a simultaneous examination of mediators.