Intelligence-personality associations

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Similarities and differences

In both intelligence and personality:

  • Both refer to cognitive, affective, and behavioural differences
  • Quantifiable through standardised psychometric instruments
  • Both show relative temporal stability and manifest as stable patterns of behaviour across the lifespan
  • Both are associated with individual differences in a wide range of outcomes, including educational and occupational performance, health and longevity

Differences

  • Intelligence tests measure maximal performance or what a person can do, personality tests measure general tendencies of behaviour or what a person typically does
  • Personality tests have no 'correct' answers but intelligence tests do
  • Personality - predicts clinical, interpersonal, and intra-personal outcomes
  • Intelligence - predicts achievement outcomes, academic and occupational performance
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Intelligence-personality associations

3 theoretical approaches:

  • (1): personality and intelligence are different things and should be studied in different context, using different methods - empirical and theoretical independence
  • (2): personality influences intelligence test performance - association at measurement level (e.g perfectionist's trade-off between accuracy and speed)
  • (3): personality guides how, when, and where individuals apply intelligence, thereby shaping lifespan cognitive development - association at conceptual level

When, where and how do people invest in their intelligence? Investment is determined by personality traits. Individual differences in intelligence = differences in ability and investment. Investment may be the bridging construct between intelligence and personality

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Defining investment

Individual differences in "the tendency to seek out, engage in, enjoy, and continuously puruse opportunities for effortful cognitive activity" (von Stumm et al, 2011)

Investment scales are often "isolated personality mesure with no linkage to any personality theory" (Ackerman & Heggestad, 1997).

What are investment traits? 32 trait scales were published between 1949 and 2006. Examples are need for cognition (Cacioppo & Petty, 1983), typical intellectual engagement (Goff & Ackerman, 1992) and intellectual efficiency (Gough, 1953). Most scales are outside comprehensive personality taxonomies (i.e not Big Five).

Example of need for cognition: 

  • I prefer complex to simple problems
  • I like to have the responsiblity of handling a situation that requires a lot of thinking
  • Thinking isn't my idea of fun
  • I'd rather do something that requires little thought than something that's sure to challenge my thinking abilities
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Investment traits and intellect

Markers of adult intellect

  • College entry tests: high school learning outcome but more closely related to general intelligence than knowledge
  • Academic performance: e.g university "GPA": mixture of maximum and typical performance results
  • Crystallised intelligence tests: knowledge but typically assessed in terms of verbal ability (consensus knowledge)
  • General knowledge tests: "dark matter of adult intelligence"; domain-specific; rarely assessed
  • Many construct scales assess investment. Overall, some measures of investment are associated with intellect.
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Conclusions

Investment contributes to better cognitive performance and higher frequency of cognitive activity engagement. Cognitive activity engagement is not associated with better cognitive performance.

Personality and intelligence differ in many aspects but reciprocally affect individual development, including cognitive development. Thus, personality and intelligence should be studied in conjunction rather than separately.

Investment traits are associated with cognitive development and performance. Investment traits are not yet linked to a specific set of behaviours.

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