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Abstract
Cognitive, Personality and Psychological Associations of Habit Formation and Change in Ageing
Innovation in Aging, Vol.9(Supplement 2), pp.634-634
Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Annual Scientific Meeting, 2025 (Boston, United States, 12-Nov-2025–15-Nov-2025)
2025
PMCID: PMC12760735
Abstract
All behaviour can be influenced by automatic, context-dependent habits. The ability to form and modify these habits is crucial for healthy ageing. Whilst cognition and personality can impact habit-related behaviours, their specific roles remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the relationships between cognitive, psychological, and personality factors in habit formation and change among older adults. A total of 125 healthy adults (Mage = 72.8, range = 60–87 years, SD = 7.25, 50.4% female) participated. Participants completed a computerised task comprising a habit learning phase and a habit switching phase (Symmetrical Outcome Revaluation Task), along with assessments of personality (IPIP-NEO), cognitive function (HVLT, Trails B), mood (DASS-21), and single-item scales for motivation, enjoyment, and satisfaction. Backward stepwise structural equation modelling was conducted and yielded an overall good model fit (indicated by, for example, the Comparative Fit Index =.956, reflecting the proportion of variance explained compared to a baseline model, with values above 0.90 indicating a good fit). The analysis revealed that cognitive and psychological factors significantly influenced habit learning and behavioural flexibility. Specifically, lower age, faster processing speed, better execute function, more enjoyment, motivation and lower depression was associated with improved habit learning accuracy (R² = .3). Additionally, better verbal recognition memory, higher conscientiousness, apathy and faster discrimination accuracy were linked to better performance in switching from habitual to goal-directed responding (R² = .11). These findings suggest that a combination of cognitive and psychological factors influence habit learning and behaviour change, with important implications for promoting healthy habits in ageing.
Details
- Title
- Cognitive, Personality and Psychological Associations of Habit Formation and Change in Ageing
- Authors
- Anangsha Pathak - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteDaniel Hermens - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteDaniel Fassnacht - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyThomas Pace - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteSanne de Wit - University of AmsterdamSophie Andrews - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
- Publication details
- Innovation in Aging, Vol.9(Supplement 2), pp.634-634
- Conference details
- Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Annual Scientific Meeting, 2025 (Boston, United States, 12-Nov-2025–15-Nov-2025)
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1093/geroni/igaf122.2168
- ISSN
- 2399-5300
- PMID
- PMC12760735
- Copyright note
- © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Gerontological Society of America. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Organisation Unit
- Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Thompson Institute; School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991194105902621
- Output Type
- Abstract
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