Investment and intellect: A review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Cognitive or intellectual investment theories propose that the development of intelligence is partially influenced by personality traits, in particular by so-called investment traits that determine when, where, and how people invest their time and effort in their intellect. This investment, in turn, is thought to contribute to individual differences in cognitive growth and the accumulation of knowledge across the life span. We reviewed the psychological literature and identified 34 trait constructs and corresponding scales that refer to intellectual investment. The dispositional constructs were further classified into 8 related trait categories that span the construct space of intellectual investment. Subsequently, we sought to estimate the association between the identified investment traits and indicators of adult intellect, including measures of crystallized intelligence, academic performance (e.g., grade point average), college entry tests, and acquired knowledge. A meta-analysis of 112 studies with 236 coefficients and an overall sample of 60,097 participants indicated that investment traits were mostly positively associated with adult intellect markers. Meta-analytic coefficients ranged considerably, from 0 to .58, with an average estimate of .30. We concluded that investment traits are overall positively related to adult intellect; the strength of investment-intellect associations differs across trait scales and markers of intellect; and investment traits have a diverse, multifaceted nature. The meta-analysis also identified areas of inquiry that are currently lacking in empirical research. Limitations, implications, and future directions are discussed.

Personality, competencies, and life outcomes: results from the German PIAAC longitudinal study

“…We were able to replicate the typically found positive linear associations between emotional stability and openness and cognitive skills and the negative association between conscientiousness and cognitive skills (Ackerman and Heggestad 1997;DeYoung 2011;Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham 2005;Von Stumm and Ackerman 2013). Results of the quadratic analyses demonstrated that the results for emotional stability and openness were primarily triggered by comparatively low performance in the competency measures of persons who were low on emotional stability or openness, respectively.…”

Anchoring Vignettes

“…This suggests that imagination and aesthetic sensitivity could be more related to engaging in regular reading habits that in turn could develop language skills, whereas order and discipline could be more important for the persistence and repeated practice necessary for developing the complex acquaintance underlying math knowledge. These findings suggest the intriguing hypothesis that C and O have unique moderation effects in the process of investment of potential abilities into learning activities that turn potential into crystalized knowledge (Von Stumm & Ackerman, 2012).…”

Effects of honours programme participation in higher education: a propensity score matching approach

“…One focused on artistic qualities and fantasy, and the other focused on innovativeness and intellectual curiosity. The finding that openness comprises at least two distinct lower order trait dispositions has been described in literature (see Von Stumm & Ackerman, 2013). We included the subscale focusing on innovativeness and intellectual curiosity, since we deemed this construct more relevant for the professional context.…”