The incremental validity of intellectual curiosity and confidence for predicting academic performance in advanced tertiary students

Intellectual curiosity is a topic of research interest and often predicts academic performance (AP). However, evidence for its incremental validity, which the present study aimed to assess, is mixed. Participants were 216 (52 males, 151 females, 13 not reported) third-year psychology students (age M = 23.0 yrs) who completed tests of fluid and crystallised intelligence, five-factor model (FFM) personality, intellectual curiosity, and confidence. AP was obtained from university transcripts. No incremental validity above intelligence and FFM personality was found for measures of curiosity or confidence. In all analyses, Conscientiousness was the most substantial predictor of AP. Future research may focus on the conditions in which curiosity or confidence predict AP.