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Need for achievement and performance on measures of behavioral fluency
J Allen1, P Blanton, D Johnson-Greene
1Department of Psychology, University of Mississippi, University 38677.
Psychological Reports
|October 1, 1992
Summary
High need for achievement (nAch) correlates with better figural fluency and verbal IQ scores. However, nAch did not significantly impact verbal fluency or performance IQ in college students.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Personality traits, such as need for achievement (nAch), can influence cognitive performance.
- Behavioral fluency measures assess cognitive processing speed and flexibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between need for achievement (nAch) and performance on behavioral fluency tasks.
- To determine if nAch predicts performance on figural fluency, verbal fluency, and intelligence measures.
Main Methods:
- Fifty neurologically intact college undergraduates completed a need for achievement (nAch) questionnaire.
- Participants were administered a battery of tests, including a short form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and behavioral fluency measures.
Main Results:
- Individuals with high nAch scores demonstrated superior performance on figural fluency tasks compared to those with low nAch.
- High nAch scorers also achieved higher scores on the WAIS Verbal Scale, indicating a higher mean Verbal IQ.
- No significant differences in verbal fluency or WAIS Performance IQ were found between high and low nAch groups.
Conclusions:
- Need for achievement (nAch) is positively related to specific cognitive abilities, including figural fluency and verbal intelligence.
- The findings suggest that personality factors like nAch may play a role in shaping certain aspects of cognitive functioning.