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Published on: April 18, 2017
Role of test motivation in intelligence testing
Angela Lee Duckworth1, Patrick D Quinn, Donald R Lynam
1Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. duckworth@psych.upenn.edu
Summary
Motivation significantly impacts intelligence test scores and their predictive power. Incentives boost scores, especially for lower-IQ individuals, and motivation explains some of intelligence quotient (IQ) score's link to life outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Intelligence tests are assumed to measure maximal intellectual performance.
- Predictive associations between IQ scores and life outcomes are often seen as unbiased estimates of intellectual ability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the assumptions that intelligence tests measure maximal performance and that their predictive validity is unbiased.
- To investigate the role of motivation in intelligence testing and its impact on predictive validity.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis of experiments (N=2,008) examined the effect of incentives on intelligence test performance.
- Trained observers rated test motivation in adolescent boys (N=251) during intelligence testing.
Main Results:
- Incentives increased IQ scores by 0.64 SD, with larger effects for lower baseline IQ individuals.
- Adjusting for test motivation significantly diminished the predictive validity of IQ scores for life outcomes, especially nonacademic ones.
Conclusions:
- Under low-stakes conditions, motivation varies among individuals and can confound estimates of intelligence's predictive validity.
- Intelligence tests may not solely measure maximal intellectual performance, and motivation plays a crucial role.
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