Is conscientiousness positively or negatively related to intelligence? Insights from the national level

Abstract

Although conceptually conscientiousness should be positively associated with intelligence, existing empirical data do not support this hypothesis. Several recent investigations reported a negative association of the two variables. In the present paper we examine the national data on personality and intelligence. We used the NEO-PI-R data on national personality. We were interested how the analysis conducted at national level may shed new light on the relationship between conscientiousness and cognitive ability. The most important finding concerned the differences in correlations between self-report and observer-rating conscientiousness scores with IQ. The former was negatively associated with cognitive ability, while the latter positively. The analyses of the conscientiousness facets revealed, that in regression models three components of conscientiousness predicted national intelligence. Specifically, achievement striving and deliberation were negatively associated with IQ, while dutifulness was in a positive relationship with cognitive ability. Interestingly, this pattern was the same in self and observer rating scores.