Cognitive ability and curiosity are positively correlated in young adults¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr2·q3·i1small
Currency · newest study 2022 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2027: baselines and conditions change
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i1 Cognitive ability and curiosity showed a positive bivariate correlation (r = 0.27 at T1) in a large longitudinal panel. → Mussel 2022
Evidence¶
Mussel 2022¶
Mussel, Patrick. (2022). Processes Underlying the Relation between Cognitive Ability and Curiosity with Academic Performance: A Mediation Analysis for Epistemic Behavior in a Five-Year Longitudinal Study. Journal of Intelligence 10: 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10020023
q3 · i1 · associational · r2
Bivariate correlations from the German Personality Panel longitudinal study (total N = 1965; T1 measures available for 1940 on cognitive ability and 1662 on curiosity), reported in the Results section. The article reports a positive correlation between cognitive ability and curiosity, "r = 0.27 for T1", consistent with prior literature on investment traits.
"In line with the literature, cognitive ability and curiosity were positively correlated ( r = 0.27 for T1)."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Interest — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Related Claims¶
- Secondary academic performance is predicted by cognitive ability more strongly than by curiosity — related
- Epistemic behavior relates to curiosity but not to cognitive ability — related
- Neither cognitive ability, curiosity, nor epistemic behavior significantly predicts tertiary academic performance in the heterogeneous sample — related
- Epistemic behavior does not mediate the relation of cognitive ability or curiosity with academic performance — related
- Questionnaire measures of curiosity are difficult to use validly with young children — related
- Domain-general cognitive skills correlate positively with vibe-coding performance, CS achievement, and writing skills — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
cognitive-ability-curiosity-positive-correlation |
title |
Cognitive ability and curiosity are positively correlated in young adults |
description |
Cognitive ability and curiosity are positively correlated in young adults |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2022 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
recheck_by |
2027 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-09-26 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — mussel-2022 |
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