An exploratory study of Novelty Seeking tendencies and students' performance on executive functioning tasks

Abstract

In light of collated research linking temperament traits and executive performance, the aim of this study is to explore, in a large non-clinical sample, the differences in executive performance profiles among participants with different intensities of the trait Novelty Seeking (NS). A further aim is to establish which facets of NS contribute to these differences. The NS temperament dimension and its subscales were operationalised as scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), which is based on the psychobiological theory of personality. The University of Pennsylvania Computerised Neuropsychological Test Battery (PennCNP) of executive functioning (EF) and abstract reasoning was used to measure participants’ neuropsychological EF. The total sample of participants (n= 461) was divided into high NS (n= 216) and low NS (n= 245) groups to investigate any significant differences between them. Further analysis was then conducted in order to analyse the relationship between the NS scale, the four subscales (Exploratory Excitability, Impulsiveness, Extravagance, and Disorderliness), and performance in executive tasks. The findings of this study indicated significant differences between groups with different intensities of NS, with the high NS group functioning notably better in performance and reaction time. Furthermore, this study showed that facets of NS, such as impulsiveness was a significant contributor to EF performance outcomes.