Learning the hard way: need for cognition influences attitudes toward and self-reported use of desirable difficulties.
Abstract
We investigate the relationship between Need for Cognition (NFC), attitude towards and self-reported application of different desirable difficulties in self-regulated learning. Students with a higher NFC should be more appreciative and prone to use desirable difficulties because of a match between the learner’s attributes and the learning task requirements: cognitively effortful learning conditions will be preferred by students with a higher propensity for cognitive challenges. Supporting our hypotheses, we show that indeed a higher NFC positively relates to attitudes and use of different desirable difficulties (Study 1–2), especially to self-generating of materials and predictions, but weaker and inconsistently to interleaving/spacing and self-testing/practicing. While self-generating of contents and predictions loaded on one factor, and interleaving/spacing together with self-testing/practicing loaded on another factor, this two-factor structure was reliably obtained for self-reported use, yet for attitudes a one-factor structure did fit. Most importantly though, the observed relationship between NFC and different desirable difficulties could neither be explained by high school graduation grade, indicating academic competence (Study 1), nor by academic self-concept as one’s perception of one’s academic abilities (Study 2). Results are discussed within an information-processing framework related to implications for desirable difficulties as learning strategies.
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High levels of NFC have a positive impact on performance and school grades.
“High levels of NFC have a positive impact on performance (Weissgerber et al., 2018) and school grades (Grass et al., 2017; Luong et al., 2017; Strobel et al., 2019).”
From Retrieval Practice Is Effective Regardless of Self-Reported Need for Cognition - Behavioral and Brain Imaging Evidence (2022) · cites this paper as Weissgerber et al., 2018
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Wiklund-Hörnqvist, C., Stillesjö, S., Andersson, M., Jonsson, B., & Nyberg, L. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.797395 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“High levels of NFC have a positive impact on performance (Weissgerber et al., 2018) and school grades (Grass et al.”
Background
- Authors
- Weissgerber, S. C., Reinhard, M.-A., & Schindler, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Kassel (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Weissgerber, Sophia C.
- Venue
- Educational Psychology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2017-10-23
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 176-202
- ISSN
- 0144-3410 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-5820
- OpenAlex
- W2766720133
- Cited by
- 30
- References
- 77
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 3.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Educational Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- LOEWE (desirable difficulties; intrinsic cognitive motiva)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Strategies and Epistemologies
- Keywords
- need for cognition, desirable difficulties, student self-regulation, interleaving, spacing effect, self-testing, academic self-concept, academic competence, information processing theory, learning strategies
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