A new study published in the Journal of Personality identifies how early psychomotor development is associated with personality later in life through childhood cognition, self-regulation, and social competence. Drawing on data from over 9,000 children from the United Kingdom, the research explores the long-term pathways linking infants’ motor and communicative functions to personality traits in late adolescence.
Why is this important?
This research addresses an important gap in our understanding of how personality traits (such as conscientiousness, openness to experience, and extraversion), develop from foundational abilities in infancy, like gross or fine motor skills. The study also examines how emotion regulation and independence skills, social behaviour, and cognitive abilities in early to mid-childhood link early sensorimotor functions with adolescent personality traits.
This is important because it suggests that stable personality traits, which influence well-being and success in the long term, may be shaped by motor development during the first two years of life. As motor and communicative skills are modifiable, this implies that some characteristics of our personalities can be moulded through the development of such sensorimotor functions.
What were the main findings?
Key findings of the study suggest that gross motor skills (e.g., crawling or taking a few steps) and communicative skills (e.g., gestures such as pointing, smiling back, or showing signs of joint attention) at age 9 months predict cognitive abilities (e.g., verbal and spatial skills) and socially competent behaviours at 5 years, which in turn are associated with personality traits at 17 years. Notably, gross motor skills were mostly associated with openness, while communicative skills were linked with conscientiousness and emotional stability.
The results of this study highlight the embodied nature of personality development, emphasising how early motor and communicative interactions with the environment contribute to later cognitive and social-emotional capacities.
The findings could inform early interventions, encouraging clinicians and early years educators to prioritise the development of motor and communicative skills in infancy and early childhood with the aim of fostering adaptive personality traits and emotional resilience in youth.
The evidence provided in this research suggests that children’s verbal and spatial skills, social competence, and self-regulation, grow out of early sensorimotor functions in infancy, and—crucially—they provide a link between infant development and later personality structure.
Stability & Plasticity
Personality traits at age 17 were evaluated using the Five Factor Model, a standard psychometric instrument with five broad dimensions of stable personality characteristics. However, researchers now know that these 5 traits group together into a higher-order structure with just two broad categories named “Stability” and “Plasticity”.
Stability is linked to conscientiousness, emotional resilience (low neuroticism), and agreeableness. It helps individuals stay focused on goals, process information effectively, and regulate their emotions more effectively. Plasticity, on the other hand, is associated with openness and extraversion, fostering curiosity, creativity, and the ability to explore new ideas or try new ways of solving a problem.
The findings of this new study suggest that gross motor skills in infancy support later traits related to exploration and adaptability (plasticity) while fine motor skills contribute more to staying focused and organised (stability). Communicative functions support both.
The study was supported by Alphablocks Nursery School and is freely accessible on the Journal of Personality website. PDF download:
Full citation: Tsomokos, D.I. (2025), Embodied Cognition and the Structure of Personality: An Exploratory Study of Longitudinal Pathways From Early Psychomotor Function. J Pers. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.13011