The Relationship Study Among Critical Thinking Disposition, Openness And Cognitive Ability Of Elderly Individuals

Nowadays, China is increasingly aging. With the increase of age, many mental and physical functions of individuals become aged. Specifically, cognitive aging have a great impact on elderly individuals’life. Therefore, it is significantly important to research for elderly individuals to maintain the cognitive ability and thus to age healthily. Personality traits have always been an essential factor that impacts elderly individuals’cognitive ability. Openness has a most positive impact on cognitive ability among personality traits. Similarly, critical thinking disposition correlated with openness is a positive individual characteristic and has a positive impact on cognitive ability of elderly individuals probably. It has been proved that openness has a great impact on cognitive ability, but it is lack of research on the relationship between critical thinking disposition and cognitive ability. Therefore, it is significantly important to research the impact of openness and critical thinking disposition on cognitive ability. From the point of cognitive ability, this study used empirical methods and explored the relationship among critical thinking disposition, openness and cognitive ability in China’s cultural background and the impact of critical thinking disposition and openness on cognitive ability. We believe that our research will guide the research on how to maintain the cognitive ability of elderly individuals.Through psychological questionnaires and scales,557 elderly individuals were randomly selected in Chongqing and Nanchong. The test materials are two-sided printed, bound and measured by standardized training facilities. Differences in demographic variables of critical thinking disposition, openness and cognitive ability test, correlation analysis, regression analysis on critical thinking disposition and openness to cognitive ability, and model building, we found that:(1)To the terms of critical thinking disposition, the level of the elderly individuals is generally moderate. There is no significant difference in gender, but there are significant differences in age and education level.(2)To the terms of openness, the level of the elderly individuals is generally low. There are significant differences in gender, age and education level.(3)To the terms of cognitive ability, there is a significant gender difference in general cognitive function and perceptual speed; general cognitive function, short-term memory, perceptual speed and executive function are significant different in age and education level.(4)Critical thinking disposition and openness are correlated to cognitive abilities.(5)Education has a most significant positive impact on cognitive abilities of elderly individuals. Age is a negative factor of elderly individuals’cognitive abilities and has a significant negative impact on general cognitive function, short-term memory and perceptual speed.(6)Critical thinking disposition and openness have a significant positive impact on cognitive abilities, and the impact of openness is more significant.