Figure 1.

Simplified illustration of the three conceptual models. The “cognitive abilities” model postulates that the association between personality and cognitive behavior is dependent on the individuals’ level of cognitive functioning. The “mental processes” model suggests that personality influences cognitive behavior through mental processes that are characteristic to the traits. The “reporting bias” model specifies that personality influences the judgment of cognitive capacities, which could lead to biases in self-reported behavior. It is likely that all three models explain part of the associations between personality and cognitive behavior, but some models might explain more variance than others in specific trait-behavior associations. The models are not mutually exclusive and other mechanisms may also play an important role.