Cognitive Flexibility and General Adaptation in University Students from Rural Background: Moderating Role of Self-Regulation

Abstract

The present study explored the relationship between cognitive flexibility, self-regulation and general adaptation in university students from rural areas. Purposive Sampling Technique was used. A sample of 200 students were collected from the university. Data was collected through using self-report measures of cognitive flexibility (Martin & Rubin, 1995), self-regulation (Przybyl & Chudak, 2022), and general adaptation (Arslan, 2022). Findings revealed positive relationship between cognitive flexibility, self-regulation and general adaptation. Results indicated that cognitive flexibility predicts adaptation primarily among individuals with low self-regulatory capacity. While high self-regulation appears to compensate for lower cognitive flexibility, suggesting the strong buffering effect of self-regulation skills.