1. Religious, Cognitive, & Personality Predictors of Intelligence
Charla Leonard, Caleb W. Lack,
Kathryn Schrantz, & Alisa M. Huskey
University of Central Oklahoma
Abstract
This study used a culturally and educationally homogenous group to examine prediction of IQ scores. Participants were given an intelligence test and completed measures of religiosity, cognitive style, and personality. Results indicate that religious fundamentalism, certainty in the absence of a deity, need for cognition, openness, and are key predictors of IQ in an educationally homogenous group.
Method
Participants
84 Undergraduates at a metropolitan university
GENDER. 69% were female
AGE. Range 18 to 36; (M = ; SD = 3.98)
ETHNICITY. 65.5% were White; 13.1% were Black or African American; 8.3% were Asian
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION. 61.9% were Protestant; 8.3% were Catholic; 16.7% selected “None”; 13% were “Other”
Procedure
Undergraduates, recruited via Sona-Systems, participated in this research project for course credit. Research assistants administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, second edition (WASI-II) to each participant. Subsequently, participants responded to questionnaires addressing demographics, general religiosity, religious fundamentalism, and a variety of demographic, cognitive, and personality variables
Measures
Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (FSIQ)
Verbal
Performance
Religious Fundamentalism Scale
Defensive Theology Scale
Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Scale
Dawkins Belief Scale
Big Five Inventory (BFI)
-Openness Conscientiousness
-Extraversion -Agreeableness
-Neuroticism
Need for Cognition
Table 1
Correlations between Religious, Cognitive, and Personality Variables 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1. Full Scale IQ
2. Dawkins Belief Scale
.317**
3. Need for Cognition
.285**
.280**
4. Defensive Theology
-.324**
-.709**
-.239*
5. Religious Fundamentalism
-.313**
-.718**
-.330**
.851**
6. Strength of Religious Faith
-.342**
-.793**
-.221*
.830**
.817**
7. Extraversion
-.171
-.237*
-.069
.391**
.361**
.316**
8. Agreeableness
-.011
-.108
.049
.151
.178
.177
.245*
9. Conscientiousness
-.136
-.032
.246*
.062
0.100
.099
.214
.300**
10. Neuroticism
.110
-.033
-.191
-.064
-.067
.019
-.226*
-.260*
-.243*
11. Openness
.375**
.312**
.507**
-.248*
-.353**
-.263*
0.116
.189
.136
.041
Note. *p ≤ .05; ** p ≤ 01
Introduction
Despite the assertion of widely reported studies (e.g., Kanazawa, 2010; Lynn, Harvey, & Nyborg, 2009) and meta-analyses (Zuckerman, Silberman, & Hall, 2013), conclusions about the relationship between intelligence and religiosity are far from foregone. While many have reported on a negative relationship between being religious and intelligence, the methodology in studies of this potential relationship is incredibly variable.
For instance, there has been very little consistency in the measures used to assess religious variables across studies, while measures of “intelligence” vary from tests designed specifically to measure intelligence, to measures designed to measure only a single aspect of intelligence (e.g., verbal skills), to measures that are more achievement-based (e.g., university entrance exams or GPA).
Studies are needed that examine the diverse aspects of religiosity, use modern and well-constructed intelligence measures, and also examine a variety of demographic, cognitive, and personality variables find out which (alone or in combination) are related to any observed differences in intelligence between the religious and non-religious.
Discussion
Correlational analyses indicate that intelligence scores are inversely related to feelings of divine importance, religious fundamentalism, strength of religious faith and positively related to need for cognition, certainty in the absence of a deity, and openness to experience. Regression analyses* revealed the relative predictive power of these measures with IQ score, indicating that religious fundamentalism, need for cognition, certainty in theism, and the Big Five personality characteristics predicted 25% of the variance in IQ scores. These findings are consistent with previous literature and also provide further insight into some personality and cognitive characteristics underlying the religion and intelligence relationship.
Results
Hierarchical Multiple Regression
Criterion: Full Scale IQ Score
On step one, Religious Fundamentalism was entered, accounting for 10% of variance in intelligence, R2 = .10, F(1, 81) = 8.77, p = .004.
On step two, Need for Cognition was entered, accounting for an additional 4% of the variance, R2 change = .041, F(2, 80) = 6.45, p = .003.
On step three, Dawkin’s Belief Scale was entered, accounting for an additional 1% of the variance R2 change = .012, F(3, 79) = 4.69, p = .005.
On step four, all Big Five personality characteristics were entered, accounting for an additional 10% of the variance, making the entire model account for 25% of variance in intelligence, R2 = .249, F(8, 74) = 3.07, p = .005.
*To avoid multicollinearity between Dawkins Belief Scale, Defensive Theology, Religious Fundamentalism, and Strength of Religious Faith (r ranging from .71 to .85) only Dawkins was used in the regression analysis.
Please address correspondence regarding this poster to: Caleb W. Lack, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, 307F Education Bldg, Edmond, OK or and
This project was supported by funds from the UCO College of Education & Professional Studies, the UCO Department of Psychology, and the UCO Office of Academic Affairs.