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The Need for Cognition: Key Concepts, Assessment, and Role in Educational Outcomes

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Psychosocial Skills and School Systems in the 21st Century

Part of the book series: The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality ((SSHE))

Abstract

Need for cognition is a psychological construct that refers to an individual’s desire for, and enjoyment of, intellectually engaging activities. As such, a substantial amount of research has shed light on how need for cognition is associated with numerous positive outcomes, such as learning and academic success, and also how it is associated to theoretically related constructs found in the literature (e.g., intellectual engagement, epistemic curiosity). The current chapter begins by providing an overview of the historical background and development of need for cognition. The subsequent section provides a review of the empirical work in psychology and education that has since illuminated the differences, similarities, and relationships between this construct and others that share a similar theoretical orientation. We then describe the different methods that need for cognition is assessed and briefly discuss their various psychometric properties. Finally, the chapter closes with a discussion of how need for cognition has been shown to be related to desirable learning and educational outcomes and how this trait may be cultivated in order to promote these beneficial and positive effects. In addition, some insights for future research are provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Andrew T. Jebb, Rachel Saef, Scott Parrigon & Sang Eun Woo

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  1. Andrew T. Jebb
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  2. Rachel Saef
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  3. Scott Parrigon
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  4. Sang Eun Woo
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Correspondence to Sang Eun Woo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Psychology, CUNY, Queens College and the Graduate Center,, Flushing, New York, USA

    Anastasiya A Lipnevich

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Trier, Trier, Germany

    Franzis Preckel

  3. Professional Examination Service, Center for Innovative Assessments, New York, New York, USA

    Richard D. Roberts

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Jebb, A.T., Saef, R., Parrigon, S., Woo, S.E. (2016). The Need for Cognition: Key Concepts, Assessment, and Role in Educational Outcomes. In: Lipnevich, A., Preckel, F., Roberts, R. (eds) Psychosocial Skills and School Systems in the 21st Century. The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28606-8_5

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