Personality and intelligence as predictors of statistics examination grades

This paper looks at the relationship between psychometrically measured individual differences, namely the Big Five personality traits and several cognitive ability tests, and two statistics examination grades (SEG) at the university level. A total of 91 (74 females and 17 males) British students participated in the study. A series of bivariate and partial correlations showed that there were significant and positive associations between SEG and psychometric intelligence (notably spatial ability), as well as Conscientiousness. There were negative and significant correlations between SEG and Extraversion. This pattern of results was confirmed by a series of hierarchical regressions, in which personality traits were found to account for additional and unique variance in SEG (over and above psychometric intelligence). Cognitive ability accounted for about 3% of the variance in overall SEG, whilst personality traits accounted for an additional 12%. When lecturer rated seminar performance was also included in the regression equation, individual differences still showed some incremental validity in the prediction of SEG. Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness and, to a lesser extent, general intelligence, showed incremental validity in the prediction of SEG. Whilst tutor-related seminar performance accounted for 37% of the variance in overall SEG, psychometric intelligence accounted for an additional 1% and personality for a unique 10% of the variance.