Psychosocial Determinants of the Need for Cognition in Individuals with High Academic Achievements

Abstract

The aim of the research was to verify what factors determine the level of the need for cognition (NFC) in students and doctoral students with high academic achievements. The project involved 207 participants: 102 individuals with high achievements and 105 without great scientific successes. The following tools were used: the Questionnaire of the Need for Cognition (in Polish adaptation), the Formal Characteristics of Behavior – Temperament Questionnaire Revised Version, the Popular Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and the Questionnaire of Retrospectively Perceived Parental Attitudes. Research results indicate that in people with high academic achievement, emotional intelligence, activity and perceived mother’s inconsistency positively influence the need for cognition. In the comparison group, emotional intelligence is a positive predictor of NFC and the perceived attitude of father’s inconsistency is a negative predictor of NFC.