Self-Report Measures of Ability, Effort, and Nonacademic Activity as Predictors of Introductory Psychology Test Scores

Abstract

Self-report measures of academic ability, academic effort, and nonacademic activity were used to predict students' performance on their first introductory psychology test. Collectively, these predictor variables explained a significant proportion of the variance in test performance. In addition, academic ability, academic effort, and nonacademic activity each contributed significantly to the prediction of test scores. The relative predictive value of different aspects of academic effort was also examined. Results are discussed in terms of how introductory psychology instructors might advise students who wish to improve their test performance.