Need for cognition (NFC) refers to an individual’s tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive processing. So far, little attention has been paid to a systematic evaluation of the distinctiveness of NFC from traits with similar conceptualization and from intelligence. The present research contributes to filling this gap by examining the relation of NFC to well-established personality concepts (Study 1) and to a comprehensive measure of intelligence in a sample with broad educational backgrounds (Study 2). We observed NFC to be positively correlated with openness, emotional stability, and traits indicating goal orientation. Using confirmatory factor analysis and event-related potentials, incremental validity of NFC and openness to ideas was demonstrated, showing that NFC is more predictive of drive-related and goal-oriented behavior and attentional resource allocation. Regarding intelligence, NFC was more associated with fluid than with crystallized aspects of intelligence. Altogether, the results provide strong support for the conceptual autonomy of NFC.
The application of the dimensional anxiety scales may be an effective way to screen for specific anxiety disorders and to supplement categorical diagnoses in DSM-V, although further evaluation and refinement of the scales (particularly the specific phobia scale) is needed.
The personality trait need for cognition (NFC) refers to individual differences in cognitive motivation and has proven to be an extraordinarily useful descriptor and predictor in the context of information processing. So far, NFC has been assessed via self-report. More recent research, however, accentuates the value of indirect measures, as they tap into implicit aspects of the personality self-concept and are assumed to provide incremental validity especially in predicting automatic aspects of behaviour. Therefore, in the present research, different NFC-Implicit Association Tests (IATs) were developed and pretested for psychometric properties. The final version was systematically tested for its predictive validity over and above the direct NFC measure based on a latent variable approach. The results provide evidence for a double dissociation model and suggest the NFC-IAT to exert its predictive value regarding the more spontaneous aspects of NFC-related behaviour, whereas the NFC scale was rather predictive for the more reflective aspects of behaviour. Moreover, the present research contributes to the understanding of construct-unrelated variance in personality IATs and offers valuable information for test development in the realm of personality IATs. significance that might be due to the sample size being not large enough to allow for robust estimation.
The self-rated dimensional anxiety scales demonstrated sensitivity to clinical severity, and a cut-off based on additional assessment of impairment and distress may assist in the discrimination between subthreshold and threshold anxiety disorders. Findings suggest further research in various populations to test the utility of the scales for use in DSM-5.
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