Individual differences in current events knowledge : Contributions of ability, personality, and interests

What accounts for individual differences in the sort of knowledge that people may draw on in everyday cognitive tasks, such as deciding whom to vote for in a presidential election, how to invest money in the stock market, or what team to bet on in a friendly wager? In a large sample of undergraduate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Memory & cognition 2007-03, Vol.35 (2), p.304-316
Main Authors: HAMBRICK, David Z, MEINZ, Elizabeth J, OSWALD, Frederick L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aptitude
Behavioral sciences
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition. Intelligence
Cognitive ability
Efficiency
Election results
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Hypotheses
Intelligence
Knowledge acquisition
Learning
Life Change Events
Longitudinal studies
Male
Miscellaneous
Motivation
Personality
Personality traits
Presidential elections
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reading comprehension
Securities markets
Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:What accounts for individual differences in the sort of knowledge that people may draw on in everyday cognitive tasks, such as deciding whom to vote for in a presidential election, how to invest money in the stock market, or what team to bet on in a friendly wager? In a large sample of undergraduate students, we investigated correlates of individual differences in recently acquired knowledge of current events in domains such as politics, business, and sports. Structural equation modeling revealed two predictive pathways: one involving cognitive ability factors and the other involving two major nonability factors (personality and interests). The results of this study add to what is known about the sources of individual differences in knowledge and are interpreted in the context of theoretical conceptions of adult intelligence that emphasize the centrality and importance of knowledge (e.g., Ackerman, 1996; Cattell, 1971).
ISSN:0090-502X
1532-5946
DOI:10.3758/BF03193451