Abstract
The current study (N = 244) compared two independently developed and substantively different measures of self-confidence; a self-report measure, and a measure described as “online.” Online measures are confidence-accuracy judgments made following each item on a cognitive task; in the current study, online measures were yoked to tasks of fluid and crystallized intelligence. The self-report and online measures had not previously been compared, and it was unknown if they captured the same self-confidence construct. These measures were also compared to self-efficacy and personality for the purpose of defining self-confidence as an independent construct, as well as to clarify the primary comparison. This study also aimed to replicate previous findings of a stable factor of confidence derived from online measures. An age comparison was made between a young adult sample (30 years and under) and an older adult sample (65 years and over) to determine how confidence functions across the lifespan. The primary finding was that self-report and online measures of confidence define two different but modestly correlated factors. Moreover, the self-report measures sit closer to personality, and the online measures sit closer to ability. While online measures of confidence were distinct from self-efficacy and personality, self-report measures were very closely related to the personality trait Emotional Stability. A general confidence factor—derived from online measures—was identified, and importantly was found in not just young adults but also in older adults. In terms of the age comparison, older adults had higher self-report self-confidence, and tended to be more overconfident in their judgments for online measures; however this overconfidence was more striking in the online measures attached to fluid ability than to crystallized ability.
Highlights
Confidence has recently been deemed important because of its predictive validity for academic achievement (Stankov et al, 2013)
This comparison was for the purpose of examining how confidence functions across the lifespan, in regards to online confidence which was attached to both crystallized and fluid ability measures, known to behave differently across the age trajectory
An interesting and unexpected finding was that the self-report confidence measures appear to define something very similar to what is called Emotional Stability, a personality trait considered the opposite to Neuroticism
Summary
Confidence has recently been deemed important because of its predictive validity for academic achievement (Stankov et al, 2013). The finding that non-cognitive factors, confidence, predict academic achievement, is a hopeful one because when compared to IQ, the self-confidence trait is potentially malleable and, could become an important target of intervention to improve academic achievement (Stankov et al, 2012). The online measure is a post-task question, which asks the respondent to rate how confident they are that their answer was correct. These two types of measures have developed independently and while both describe self-confidence, there are clear differences in both their measurement and their application. It may be that the position of self-confidence on the spectrum between ability and personality depends on the way in which it is measured
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