Implicit conscientiousness predicts academic performance

Abstract

Across two studies, we provide the first evidence of a positive causal relationship between implicit conscientiousness and academic performance. Results showed how both implicit and explicit conscientiousness predicted the number of examinations that students successfully passed in the semester that followed their participation in the study. The implicit measure of conscientiousness is shown to be incrementally valid when compared to two different explicit measures. Participants’ gender moderated the effect of implicit, but not explicit, conscientiousness. Lastly, we found that motivating students to manage their impression resulted in an increased self-reported conscientiousness which was not reflected in the implicit measure, nor did this manipulation affect the predictive validity of implicit and explicit conscientiousness. The main theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.