What predicts academic performance? Previous research has shown that both intelligence and effort do. But is there anything else? In addition to intelligence and effort, researchers in this study (von Stumm et al., 2011) found that curiosity also forecasted academic achievement.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
The investigators reviewed the literature of existing studies that sought to predict academic accomplishment, and they found that intelligence, effort, and intellectual curiosity determine individual differences in intellectual success. In the reviewed studies, IQ was the typical indicator of intelligence, level of conscientiousness was the measure of effort, typical intellectual engagement captured the amount of curiosity, and grade point average served as the commonly used gauge of academic performance. These results suggest that one more characteristic – curiosity – has been identified as a valid indicator of future intellectual achievement.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Since these characteristics – intelligence, effort, and curiosity – forecast academic performance, it seems possible that they will also predict achievement in other domains such as business. Therefore, they should be considered by organizations when deciding which employee to hire.
Von Stumm, S., Hell, B., & Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2011). The hungry mind: Intellectual curiosity is the third pillar of academic performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(6) 574–588.
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