Matthes Julia, Scherrer Vsevolod, Preckel Franzis
Department of Psychology, Trier University, Trier, Germany.
Child Dev. 2025 Sep-Oct;96(5):1675-1687. doi: 10.1111/cdev.14262. Epub 2025 Jun 4.
Need for cognition (NFC) reflects the tendency to enjoy and engage in cognitive challenges. This study examines the relations between NFC and academic interest among 922 German secondary school students (academic track) assessed four times in Grades 5-7 (initial age M = 10.63, SD = 0.55; 41% female; 90% first language German) in mathematics, German, and English. Data were collected between 2008 and 2012 and were analyzed using autoregressive cross-lagged panel models. In all domains, NFC positively predicted subsequent academic interest (β = 0.03 to β = 0.17) but interest did not positively predict subsequent NFC. Findings were comparable after controlling for students' achievement, gender, socioeconomic status, and class type. They suggest that NFC is a potential facilitator of the development of academic interest in school.
认知需求（NFC）反映了享受并参与认知挑战的倾向。本研究考察了922名德国中学生（学术轨道）的认知需求与学术兴趣之间的关系，这些学生在5至7年级接受了四次评估（初始年龄M = 10.63，标准差 = 0.55；41%为女性；90%的母语为德语），涉及数学、德语和英语科目。数据收集于2008年至2012年期间，并使用自回归交叉滞后面板模型进行分析。在所有领域，认知需求都能正向预测随后的学术兴趣（β = 0.03至β = 0.17），但兴趣并不能正向预测随后的认知需求。在控制了学生的成绩、性别、社会经济地位和班级类型后，研究结果具有可比性。研究结果表明，认知需求是学校中学术兴趣发展的一个潜在促进因素。
