Abstract:
We investigate the association between temperament and character dimensions, on the one hand,
and computerised neuropsychological test performance, on the other hand. Temperament and
character dimensions were operationalised as scores on the subscales of the Temperament and
Character Inventory (TCI), a 240-item measure that is based on the psychobiological theory of
personality. Neuropsychological outcomes were measured on six computerised tests of executive
functioning and abstract reasoning from the University of Pennsylvania Computerised Neuropsychological
Test Battery (PennCNP). The executive and abstract reasoning tasks included a test of
Motor Praxis (MPRAXIS), the Penn Abstraction, Inhibition and Working Memory Task (AIM), the
Letter-N-Back (LNB2), the Penn Conditional Exclusion Task (PCET), the Penn Short Logical Reasoning
Task (SPVRT) and the Short Raven’s Progressive Matrices (SRAVEN). Results from this
exploratory study yielded significant associations between neuropsychological performance and
temperament and character traits. The temperament traits of Harm Avoidance and Reward Dependence
were positively correlated with reaction time on the AIM and the SPVRT. The character
dimension of Self-Transcendence was significantly associated with performance accuracy on the AIM
and the temperament dimension of Novelty Seeking was inversely related to performance accuracy
on the LNB2. These results confirm the importance of addressing the temperament and character
correlates of neuropsychological performance in both clinical and non-clinical studies.
