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How Impulsivity is Related to Intelligence and Academic Achievement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2014

Andreu Vigil-Coleṭ  and
Fabia Morales-Vives
Andreu Vigil-Coleṭ*
Affiliation:
Universidad Rovira y Virgili
Fabia Morales-Vives
Affiliation:
Universidad Rovira y Virgili
*
Correspondence should be addressed to Andreu Vigil-Coleṭ, Universidad Rovira y Virgili, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación y Psicología, Crtra. Valls s/n, 43007 – Tarragona (Spain). E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study investigated the relationships between impulsivity, intelligence, and academic failure in a sample of 241 secondary school students who completed Thurstone's (1938) Primary Mental Abilities (PMA) test and Dickman's (1990) and Barratt's (1985) impulsivity questionnaires (DII and BIS-10, respectively). Results show an inverse relationship between impulsivity and intelligence, specific to the scales with higher loadings on crystallized intelligence, and a positive relationship between impulsivity and academic failure. These results indicate that impulsivity is not directly related to intelligence and may act as a moderator variable between individuals' resources and their achievements.

El presente estudio analiza las relaciones existentes entre impulsividad, inteligencia y fracaso escolar en una muestra de 241 estudiantes de secundaria utilizando el test de Aptitudes Mentales Primarias de Thurstone (1938) y los cuestionarios de Dickman (1990) y Barratt (1985) de impulsividad (DII y BIS-10, respectivamente). Los resultados muestran una relación inversa entre impulsividad e inteligencia que es específica de las escalas que presentan mayor saturación en inteligencia cristalizada así como una relación positiva entre la impulsividad y el fracaso escolar. Estos resultados parecen indicar que la impulsividad no está directamente relacionada con la inteligencia y que esta puede actuar como variable moderadora entre los recursos del individuo y sus logros.

Keywords

impulsivityintelligenceacademic achievementimpulsividadinteligenciafracaso escolar
Type
Articles
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , November 2005 , pp. 199 - 204
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

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