Latency of auditory P300 correlates with self-control as measured by the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire.

The reception, processing, and storage of information about experience define personality. The present study investigated the relationship between auditory event-related potentials (AERP) and personality traits. The AERP were recorded using a standard auditory oddball paradigm, and personality was evaluated by Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) in 20 healthy young male subjects. The P300 latency was found to be significantly associated with rule consciousness (factor G in the 16PF), perfectionism (factor Q3), and self-control (factor SC): it was negatively correlated with G score (r = -0.56, P = 0.01), Q3 score (r = -0.67, P = 0.001), and SC score (r = -0.65, P = 0.002). Moreover, the P300 amplitude and N100 amplitude were negatively correlated with reasoning (factor B; r = -0.46, P = 0.044; and r = -0.72, P = 0.002, respectively). These results indicate that the personality traits of self-control, perfectionism, high superego, and reasoning are related to information processing in the brain.