Understanding the Link Between Need for Cognition and Complex Problem Solving

Publication date: Available online 10 August 2018Source: Contemporary Educational PsychologyAuthor(s): Julia Rudolph, Samuel Greiff, Anja Strobel, Franzis PreckelAbstractWith the aim of broadening the understanding of the nomological network of Complex Problem Solving (CPS), we investigated the link between CPS and Need for Cognition (NFC) while controlling for reasoning ability. Further, we explored whether the relation between NFC and CPS was mediated by test-taking behavior (i.e., exploration time). Using structural equation modeling, we analyzed data from 474 German seventh graders. We found that (a) NFC and CPS were positively related, (b) this link was partially mediated by CPS exploration time, and (c) the link between NFC and CPS that was partially mediated by exploration time remained substantial even after we controlled for reasoning. Altogether, these results provide new insights into how CPS and NFC are linked.
Source: Contemporary Educational Psychology - Category: Child Development Source Type: research