Linking personality and cognition: a meta-analysis

Abstract

In the past decade, several conceptual papers have linked variation in animal personality to variation in cognition, and recent years have seen a flood of empirical studies testing this link. However, these results have not been synthesized in a quantitative way. Here, we systematically search the literature and conduct a phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis of empirical papers that have tested the relationship between animal personality (exploration, boldness, activity, aggression and sociability) and cognition (initial learning/reversal speed, number of correct choices/errors after standard training). We find evidence for a small but significant relationship between variation in personality and variation in learning across species in the absolute scale; however, the of this relationship is highly variable and when both positive and negative effect sizes are considered, the average effect size does not differ significantly from zero. Importantly, this variation among studies is not explained by differences in personality or learning measure, or taxonomic grouping. Further, these results do not support current hypotheses suggesting that that fast-explorers are fast-learners or that slow-explorers perform better on tests of reversal learning. Rather, we find evidence that bold animals are faster learners, but only when boldness is measured in response to a predator (or simulated predator) and not when boldness is measured by exposure to a novel object (or novel food). Further, although only a small sub-sample of papers reported results separately for males and females, sex explained a significant amount of variation in effect size. These results, therefore, suggest that, while personality and learning are indeed related across a range of species, the direction of this relationship is highly variable. Thus further empirical work is needed to determine whether there are important moderators of this relationship.This article is part of the theme issue 'Causes and consequences of individual differences in cognitive abilities'.

Context is key: A comment on Herczeg et al. 2019

“…As we hope has been made clear throughout this commentary, the shortcomings we highlighted here are not unique to this study: they are prevalent in much of the literature bridging animal personality research and comparative cognition (Dougherty & Guillette, ; Niemelä & Dingemanse, ). However, as the number of studies linking animal personality, behavioural plasticity and cognition is rapidly increasing, we feel this is a critical time to clarify the theory underlying each of these traditionally distinct sub‐disciplines.…”

Sex differences in cognitive performance, style and domain relationships in mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

“…This ‘fast-exploratory’ type observed in these mosquitofish females appears to share attributes of previously described ‘fast behavioral’ type individuals (more exploratory, active, bold, and aggressive [2]) in other taxa. A positive association between ‘fast behavioral’ type and associative learning is documented across multiple taxa particularly in response to predation [8], including black-capped chickadees [439], sticklebacks [40], and Panamanian bishop fish (Brachyraphis episcopi) [41]. The ecological pressures that might lead to individuals adopting fast behavioral types may stem from being exposed to threatening environments (high predation), which places a selective pressure on the speed at which they sample their environment.…”

“…Empirical studies have shown variable support for this hypothesis with some taxon revealing a positive relationship [4] between fast-exploratory styles and learning performance, others revealing a negative relationship [5–6], and yet other studies find that a fast-exploratory cognitive style is unrelated to performance [7]. Furthermore, relationships between cognitive style and performance are often domain-specific [8]. Understanding how and why these relationships vary across taxa and between domains is a current challenge in cognitive studies, however, a factor that is emerging as one of the predominant predictors of variation across cognition is sex [8].…”

“…Furthermore, relationships between cognitive style and performance are often domain-specific [8]. Understanding how and why these relationships vary across taxa and between domains is a current challenge in cognitive studies, however, a factor that is emerging as one of the predominant predictors of variation across cognition is sex [8].…”

“…A recent meta-analysis by Dougherty & Guillette (2018) identified sex as the single best categorical variable that explains the variation across animal studies on the associations between personality and cognition [8]. This is unsurprising given fitness benefits for particular cognitive traits are often sex-dependent [9–13], leading to differential selective pressures favoring certain cognitive traits in one sex and potentiating sexual dimorphism.…”