Higher-order executive functions are associated with financial altruism in older adults

Objective: Executive function abilities are important for optimal financial decision making and have been shown to decline in early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Greater financial altruism has been associated with a cognitive profile characteristic of early AD that largely implicates non-executive functioning abilities. This study investigated the associations between executive functions and “blind giving” in older age. Method: One hundred and thirty-two older adults without dementia (M age = 69.6; M MMSE = 28.3) completed all-digital executive functioning tasks from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Advanced (D-KEFS Advanced) battery and a behavioral economics blind giving paradigm. Linear regression models evaluated associations between executive function performance and blind giving scores. Secondary analyses used ordinal regression models to examine associations between executive function performance and blind giving groups (e.g. gave less, gave equally, or gave more). All models controlled for age, sex, years of education, and income. Results: Lower performance on Verbal Fluency Category-Letter Switching and Color-Word Interference Inhibition/Switching was associated with greater blind giving scores (b = −0.25, 95%CI [−0.43, −0.06], p = .009; b = −0.03, 95%CI [−0.06, −0.001], p = .045) and higher odds of being in a more altruistic group (OR= 0.87, 95%CI [0.78, 0.98], p = .018; OR= 0.98, 95%CI [0.96, 1.00], p = .048). Conclusions: Lower executive function abilities were associated with greater blind giving. These findings suggest a need to monitor executive functioning in older adults using more advanced measures, as executive dysfunction may contribute to financial altruism that might subsequently increase vulnerability to financial exploitation.