Abstract
Abstract. Need for Cognition (NFC) is increasingly investigated in educational research. In contrast to other noncognitive constructs in this area, such as academic self-concept and interest, NFC has consistently been conceptualized as domain-general. We employed structural equation modeling to address the question of whether NFC can be meaningfully and gainfully conceptualized as domain-specific. To this end, we developed a domain-specific 20-item NFC scale with parallel items for Science, Mathematics, German, and French. Additionally, domain-general NFC was assessed with five domain-general items. Using a cross-sectional sample of more than 4,500 Luxembourgish 9th graders, we found that a nested-factor model incorporating both a general factor and domain-specific factors better accounted for the data than a single-factor or a correlated-factor model. However, the influence of the general factor was markedly stronger than in corresponding models for academic self-concept and interest. When controlling for the domain-specific factors, only Mathematics achievement was significantly predicted by the domain-general factor, while all achievement measures (Mathematics, French, and German) were predicted by the corresponding domain-specific factor. The nested domain-specific NFC factors were clearly empirically distinguishable from first-order domain-specific interest factors.
References
1996). A theory of adult intellectual development: Process, personality, interests, and knowledge. Intelligence, 22, 227–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-2896(96)90016-1
(2014). Adolescent and adult intellectual development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 246–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414534960
(1994). Need for Cognition: Eine Skala zur Erfassung von Engagement und Freude bei Denkaufgaben
([Need for coginition: A scale for the assessment of engagement and enjoyment during cognitive tasks] . Zeitschrift für Sozialpsychologie, 25, 147–154.2001). Between- and within-domain relations of academic motivation among Middle and High School Students: Self-efficacy, task-value, and achievement goals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 23. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.93.1.23
(2010). The structure of academic self-concepts revisited: The nested Marsh/Shavelson model. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 964–981. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019644
(2009). The cross-cultural generalizability of a new structural model of academic self-concepts. Learning and Individual Differences, 19, 387–403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2008.11.008
(2012). A tutorial on hierarchically structured constructs: Hierarchically structured constructs. Journal of Personality, 80, 796–846. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00749.x
(1982). The need for cognition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 116–131. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.42.1.116
(1996). Dispositional differences in cognitive motivation: The life and times of individuals varying in need for cognition. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 197–253. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.197
(1987). Intelligence: Its structure, growth and action. New York, NY: Elsevier.
(2012). Modeling general and specific variance in multifaceted constructs: A comparison of the bifactor model to other approaches. Journal of Personality, 80, 219–251. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00739.x
(2006). A comparison of bifactor and second-order models of quality of life. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 41, 189–225. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr4102_5
(2010). How students build their performance expectancies: The importance of need for cognition. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 25, 399–409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-010-0027-4
(2003). Separating trait effects from trait-specific method effects in multitrait-multimethod models: A multiple-indicator CT-C(M-1) model. Psychological Methods, 8, 38–60. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.8.1.38
(2008). Neurophysiological measures of involuntary and voluntary attention allocation and dispositional differences in need for Cognition. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 862–874. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167208315556
(2011). On the role of serotonin and effort in voluntary attention: Evidence of genetic variation in N1 modulation. Behavioural Brain Research, 1, 122–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2010.07.021
(2012). Predicting interest in and attitudes toward science from personality and need for cognition. Personality and Individual Differences, 52, 771–775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.01.005
(2014). ÉpStan technical report. Luxembourg: University of Luxembourg. Retrieved from http://orbilu.uni.lu/handle/10993/15802
(2010). Same or different? Clarifying the relationship of need for cognition to personality and intelligence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 82–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209351886
(2013). Need for cognition: Its dimensionality and personality and intelligence correlates. Journal of Individual Differences, 34, 230–240. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000119
(1991). The structure of vocational interests. Psychological Bulletin, 109, 309. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.109.2.309
(2000). Le besoin de cognition: une échelle française pour enfants et ses conséquences au plan sociocognitif
([Need for cognition: A French scale for children and its socio-cognitive effects] . L’année Psychologique, 100, 585–627. https://doi.org/10.3406/psy.2000.286652007). Between- and within-domain relations of students’ academic emotions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 715–733. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.4.715
(2015). Achievement motivation: Assessment, structure and development. Luxembourg: University of Luxembourg.
(2014). MplusAutomation: Automating Mplus Model estimation and interpretation. Retrieved from http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=MplusAutomation
(2013). Need for cognition is related to higher general intelligence, fluid intelligence, and crystallized intelligence, but not working memory. Journal of Research in Personality, 47, 22–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2012.11.001
(2016). A need for cognition scale for children and adolescents: Structural analysis and measurement invariance. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 1–13. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000370
(1987). The big-fish-little-pond effect on academic self-concept. Journal of Educational Psychology, 79, 280. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.79.3.280
(1990). The structure of academic self-concept: The Marsh/Shavelson model. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 623. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.82.4.623
(1988). A multifaceted academic self-concept: Its hierarchical structure and its relation to academic achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 366–380. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.80.3.366
(1999). Causal ordering of academic self-concept and achievement: Reanalysis of a pioneering study and. Educational Psychologist, 34, 155–167. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3403_2
(1996).
(Academic self-concept: Beyond The dustbowl . In G. D. PhyeEd., Handbook of classroom assessment (pp. 131–198). Orlando, FL: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012554155-8/50008-91984). Self Description Questionnaire III: The construct validity of multidimensional self-concept ratings by late adolescents. Journal of Educational Measurement, 21, 153–174.
(Martin, R.Ugen, S.Fischbach, A. (Eds.). (2015). Épreuves Standardisées: Bildungsmonitoring für Luxemburg. Nationaler Bericht 2011 bis 2013
[Épreuves Standardisées: School monitoring for Luxembourg. National report 2011 to 2013] . Esch, Luxembourg: LUCET, University of Luxembourg. Retrieved from http://orbilu.uni.lu/handle/10993/210461999). Test Theory: A unified treatment. New York, NY: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.2307/2669496
(2014). Motivational characteristics of students in gifted classes: The pivotal role of need for cognition. Learning and Individual Differences, 33, 39–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2014.04.006
(2001). PISA 2000. Kompetenzen von Schülern im internationalen Vergleich: Nationaler Bericht Luxemburg
. ([PISA 2000. Students’ competencies in international comparison: National report for Luxembourg] . Luxembourg: MENFP. Retrieved from http://www.script.men.lu/documentation/pdf/publi/pisa/pisa-nat.pdf2016). The Generalized Internal/External Frame of Reference Model: An extension to dimensional comparison theory. Frontline Learning Research, 4, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.14786/flr.v4i2.169
(2013). Intellect: A theoretical framework for personality traits related to intellectual achievements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 885–906. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031918
(2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén. Retrieved from http://www.statmodel.com/download/usersguide/Mplus%20user%20guide%20Ver_7_r3_web.pdf
(2014). Assessing need for cognition in early adolescence: Validation of a German adaption of the Cacioppo/Petty Scale. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 30, 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000170
(2006). Academic underachievement: Relationship with cognitive motivation, achievement motivation, and conscientiousness. Psychology in the Schools, 43, 401–411. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20154
(2017). Need for Cognition Kinderskala (NFC-KIDS). Eine Skala zur Erfassung der kognitiven Motivation bei Grundschulkindern
([Need for Coginition Children Scale (NFC-KIDS). A scale for the assessment of cognitive motivation in elementary school children] . Göttingen, Germany: Hogrefe.2015). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Retrieved from http://www.R-project.org/
. (2012). The rediscovery of bifactor measurement models. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 47, 667–696. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2012.715555
(2009). Coefficients alpha, beta, omega, and the glb: Comments on Sijtsma. Psychometrika, 74, 145–154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11336-008-9102-z
(2012). Psychological correlates of university students’ academic performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 138, 353–387. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026838
(2009). The impact of perceived message complexity and need for cognition on information processing and attitudes. Journal of Research in Personality, 43, 880–889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2009.04.006
(2009). On the use, the misuse, and the very limited usefulness of Cronbach’s alpha. Psychometrika, 74, 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11336-008-9101-0
(1973). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for children. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologist Press.
(1999). Latent state-trait theory and research in personality and individual differences. European Journal of Personality, 13, 389–408. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0984(199909/10)13:5<389::AID-PER361>3.0.CO;2-A
(2015). Explicit and implicit need for cognition and bottom-up/top-down attention allocation. Journal of Research in Personality, 55, 10–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2014.11.002
(2007). Do people’s self-views matter? Self-concept and self-esteem in everyday life. The American Psychologist, 62, 84–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.2.84
(1990). Further validation of the short form of the Need for Cognition Scale. Psychological Reports, 66, 321–322. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.66.1.321-322
(2006). Tracking, grading, and student motivation: Using group composition and status to predict self-concept and interest in ninth-grade mathematics. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 788–806. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.98.4.788
(2016). Vocational choices in adolescence: The role of gender, school achievement, self-concepts, and vocational interests. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 95–96, 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2016.07.005
(2013). Investment and intellect: A review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 139, 841–869. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030746
(1985). Weighted likelihood estimation of ability in Item Response Theory with tests of finite length. Norman, OK: The University of Oklahoma. Retrieved from https://shareok.org/handle/11244/5356
(