Abstract
Ample of literature has demonstrated the stability of personality throughout adulthood, and linked personality with memory performance. Evidence has indicated that neuroticism (-), openness (+), conscientiousness (+/-), and extraversion (+/-) have associations with memory. Additionally, prior research showed the benefits of lifestyle activities on memory in later life. However, none has examined the moderating role of the Big 5 personality traits on lifestyle activities and episodic memory among older married couples. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to create two activity factors: social engagement and leisure activity. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence model with SAS PROC MIXED, this study examined the moderating role of the Big 5 personality traits on activity factors and episodic memory (immediate and delayed recall) among 1,114 couples (age range: 50–93 years; M=66.69; SD=9.46) from the Health and Retirement Study. For both immediate and delayed recall, results indicated that in regard to the individuals’ direct effects, individuals’ conscientiousness (p<.0001) moderated the social engagement-episodic memory relationship. Interestingly, when adding in spouses’ activity factors, spouses’ leisure activities (p’s<.05) negatively influenced individuals’ immediate recall but not delayed recall, individuals’ personality traits did not moderate the partner model. When adding in spouses’ personality traits, spouses’ conscientiousness (p=05) and openness (p<.05) positively moderated individuals’ leisure activity-delayed recall relationship. Results demonstrated that both individual and spousal personality traits differentially impacted the relationships between individuals’ activities and episodic memory. Discussion will include how individual and spousal personality traits can help or hinder individuals’ activity-memory relationships.