Enge Sören, Fleischhauer Monika, Brocke Burkhard, Strobel Alexander
Department of Psychology, Dresden University of Technology, Dreden, Germany.
Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2008 Jun;34(6):862-74. doi: 10.1177/0146167208315556. Epub 2008 Apr 3.
Need for cognition (NFC) refers to stable individual differences in the intrinsic motivation to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive endeavors and has been a useful predictor of dispositional differences in information processing. Although cognitive resource allocation conceptualized as cognitive effort is assumed to be the key mediator of NFC-specific processing, to date no research has systematically addressed its underpinnings. Using a neurocognitive paradigm and recording event-related potentials associated with bottom-up and top-down-driven aspects of attention, the present research contributes to filling this gap. In Study 1, high-NFC individuals showed larger P3a amplitudes to contextually novel events, indicating greater involuntary (automatic) attention allocation. This effect was replicated in Study 2, where NFC also was positively correlated with the P3b to target stimuli, indicating voluntary (controlled) processes of attention allocation. Thus, our findings provide first evidence for neurophysiological correlates of NFC and can improve the understanding of NFC-specific processing.
认知需求（NFC）指的是在从事并享受费力的认知活动的内在动机方面稳定的个体差异，并且一直是信息加工中性格差异的有效预测指标。尽管被概念化为认知努力的认知资源分配被假定为NFC特定加工的关键中介因素，但迄今为止尚无研究系统地探讨其基础。本研究采用神经认知范式并记录与自下而上和自上而下驱动的注意方面相关的事件相关电位，有助于填补这一空白。在研究1中，高NFC个体对情境新颖事件表现出更大的P3a波幅，表明非自愿（自动）注意分配更多。这一效应在研究2中得到重复，在该研究中，NFC与对目标刺激的P3b也呈正相关，表明是注意分配的自愿（可控）过程。因此，我们的研究结果首次为NFC的神经生理相关性提供了证据，并能增进对NFC特定加工的理解。
