Relationship between Neurocognitive Variables and Personality in Offenders

Abstract

Recent studies show that traits of Five-Factor Model of personality and frontal neurocognitive functions share a common neurobiological basis. In penitentiary population, the relationships between these functions and traits have been little studied. This study aims to examine the relationship between personality and neurocognitive functions in offenders and determine whether measures of frontal neurocognitive functioning help to predict some percentage of variance in personality traits of penitentiary samples. Ninety-nine men (divided into groups: sex offenders against adults, non-sex offenders and control group) performed the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI) and Trail Making Test (TMT; parts A and B). The performance in part A of TMT was associated with Extraversion level on sex offenders and with Neuroticism level on non-sexual offenders, and explained a significant proportion of the variance of these domains personality in both groups. In conclusion, the relationship between neurocognitive functioning and personality seems to be different depending on the type of crime committed, although findings must be interpreted in a preliminary way.