Cohen, Stotland and Wolfe (1955), in their work on individual differences in cognitive motivation, identified a "need for cognition" which they defined as "the individual's need to organize his experience meaningfully", the "need to structure relevant situations in meaningful, integrated ways", and "need to understand and make reasonable the experiential world" (p. 291). They argued that, if this "need" were frustrated, it would generate "feelings of tension and deprivation" that would instigate "active efforts to structure the situation and increase understanding" (p. 291), though the particular situations arousing and satisfying the need may vary (p. 291). Cohen argued that even in structured situations, people high in NFC see ambiguity and strive for higher standards of cognitive clarity.
Cohen and colleagues themselves identified multiple prior identifications of need for cognition, citing works by Murphy, Maslow, Katz, Harlow and Asch. They distinguished their concept from the apparently similar "intolerance of ambiguity" proposed by Frenkel-Brunswik, arguing that NFC does not reflect the need to experience an integrated and meaningful world. Contemporary research suggests that Cohen's conception of need is, however, closer to tolerance of ambiguity, need for structure, or need for cognitive closure than to current ideas of need for cognition. For instance, studies using Cohen's measures indicated avoidance of ambiguity and a need to get "meaning" even if this meant relying on heuristics or expert advice rather than careful scrutiny of incoming information.
Cacioppo and Petty (1982) created their own 34-item scale to measure the need for cognition. Two years later, an 18-item version was published and in most of the cases reported in the subsequent literature it is this amended scale that is administered. Recently, a 6-item version of the need for cognition scale was proposed that is comparable to the 18-item scale in terms of validity and reliability.
People high in the need for cognition are more likely to form their attitudes by paying close attention to relevant arguments (i.e., via the central route to persuasion), whereas people low in the need for cognition are more likely to rely on peripheral cues, such as how attractive or credible a speaker is. People low in need for cognition are also more likely to rely on stereotypes alone in judging other people than those high in need for cognition.
Psychological research on the need for cognition has been conducted using self-report tests, where research participants answered a series of statements such as "I prefer my life to be filled with puzzles that I must solve" and were scored on how much they felt the statements represented them. The results have suggested that people who are high in the need for cognition scale score slightly higher in verbal intelligence tests but no higher in abstract reasoning tests.
Research has concluded that individuals high in NFC are less likely to attribute higher social desirability to more attractive individuals or to mates. College students high in NFC report higher life satisfaction.
A number of studies have found moderate correlations between NFC and measures of verbal intelligence. One study found that need for cognition had a moderate positive correlation with fluid intelligence (reasoning ability, particularly verbal, and to a lesser extent numeric and figural reasoning), and a weaker correlation with crystallised intelligence (knowledge), which had much smaller positive correlations.
NFC has been incorporated into Epstein's dual-system theory of personality called cognitive-experiential self-theory. The theory proposes that people have two information processing systems, a rational system and an experiential system. The rational system is thought to be logical, verbal and relatively unemotional. The experiential system is thought to be intuitive, based on images and highly reliant on emotion. A modified version of the Need for Cognition scale has been used to assess individual differences in the rational system, whereas the experiential system has been assessed using a scale called Faith in Intuition.
Research shows that the two systems are uncorrelated and hence independent of each other. That is individuals either high or low in need for cognition may also make use of their intuitions in forming judgments. In fact, individuals high and low in need for cognition respectively may make use of their intuitions in differing ways. When individuals give little thought to their judgments these judgments may be influenced directly by emotions, intuitions, and images in an automatic way. On the other hand, those who are high in need for cognition tend to give more thought to their judgments, and the thoughts generated may be indirectly biased by their emotions, intuitions, and images. Hence individuals high in need for cognition are not necessarily more "rational" than those low in this trait, if their faith in intuition is also high. Rather, their "irrational" intuitions tend to be given more thoughtful elaboration than those who are low in need for cognition and yet also high in faith in intuition.
NFC is associated with the amount of thought that goes into making a decision. Both high and low levels of the trait may be associated with particular biases in judgment. People low in need for cognition tend to show more bias when this bias is due to relying on mental shortcuts, that is, heuristic biases. People high in this trait tend to be more affected by biases that are generated by effortful thought.
High need for cognition is associated with a greater susceptibility to the creation of false memories associated with certain learning tasks. In a commonly used research paradigm, participants are asked to memorise a list of related words. Recognition is tested by having them pick out learned words from a set of studied and non-studied items. Certain non-studied items are conceptually related to studied items (e.g., chair if the original list contained table and legs). People high in NFC are more likely to show false memory for these lures, due to their greater elaboration of learned items in memory as they are more likely to think of semantically related (but non-studied) items.
Typical intellectual engagement was proposed by Goff and Ackerman (1992) and was defined as a "personality construct that represents an individual's aversion or attraction to tasks that are intellectually taxing".
Research has shown that high-need-for-cognition consumers prefer open-ended comparative advertising that allows consumers to decide which brand is best.
NFC has also offered insights into how people respond to alternative web site designs. Martin, Sherrard and Wentzel (2005) demonstrate that high-need for cognition people prefer web sites with high verbal complexity (more in-depth information) and low visual complexity (static images rather than animations).
Cacioppo, John T.; Petty, Richard E. (1982). "The need for cognition". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 42 (1): 116–131. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.42.1.116.[permanent dead link] http://psycinfo.apa.org/doi/index.cfm?fuseaction=showUIDAbstract&uid=1982-22487-001
Cacioppo, Rodriguez; Petty, John T.; Kao, Richard E.; Feng, Chuan; Regina (1986). "Central and peripheral routes to persuasion: An individual difference perspective". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 51 (5): 1032–1043. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.5.1032. http://content.apa.org/journals/psp/51/5/1032.html
Cohen, A.R.; Stotland, E.; Wolfe, D.M. (1955). "An Experimental Investigation of Need for Cognition". Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 51 (2): 291–294. doi:10.1037/h0042761. PMID 13263045. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Dole, J.A.; Sinatra, G.M. (1998). "Reconceptualizing Change in the Cognitive Construction of Knowledge". Educational Psychologist. 33 (2–3): 109–128. doi:10.1080/00461520.1998.9653294. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Cohen, A.R.; Stotland, E.; Wolfe, D.M. (1955). "An Experimental Investigation of Need for Cognition". Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 51 (2): 291–294. doi:10.1037/h0042761. PMID 13263045. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Cohen, A.R.; Stotland, E.; Wolfe, D.M. (1955). "An Experimental Investigation of Need for Cognition". Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 51 (2): 291–294. doi:10.1037/h0042761. PMID 13263045. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Cohen, A.R. (1957). "Need for Cognition and Order of Communication as Determinants of Opinion Change," 79–97. In Hovland, C.I. (ed.), The Order of Presentation in Persuasion, Yale University Press, (New Haven).
Murphy, G. Personality. New York: Harper, 1947
Maslow, A.H. "A theory of human motivation". Psychol. Rev. 1943 (50): 370–396.
Katz, D.; Sarnoff, I. (1954). "Motivational bases of attitude change". J. Abnorm. Soc. Psychol. 1954 (49): 115–124. doi:10.1037/h0057453. PMID 13128972. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Harlow, H.F.; Harlow, M.K.; Meyer, D. (1950). "Learning motivated by a manipulation drive". J. Exp. Psychol. 1950 (40): 228–234. doi:10.1037/h0056906. PMID 15415520. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Asch, S.E. Social Psychology. New York, Prentice-Hall, 1952".
Cohen, A.R.; Stotland, E.; Wolfe, D.M. (1955). "An Experimental Investigation of Need for Cognition". Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 51 (2): 291–294. doi:10.1037/h0042761. PMID 13263045. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Frenkel-Brunswik, E (1949). "Intolerance of ambiguity as an emotional and perceptual personality variable". J. Pers. 18 (3): 108–143. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1949.tb01236.x. PMID 4833114. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Cacioppo, John T.; Petty, Richard E.; Feinstein, Jeffrey A.; Jarvis, W. Blair G. (March 1996). "Dispositional Differences in Cognitive Motivation: The Life and Times of Individuals Varying in Need for Cognition". Psychological Bulletin. 119 (2): 197–253. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.197. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Thompson, E.P.; Chaiken, S.; Hazlewood, J.D. (1993). "Need for Cognition and Desire for Control as Moderators of Extrinsic Reward Effects: A Person × Situation Approach to the Study of Intrinsic Motivation". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 64 (6): 987–999. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.64.6.987. PMID 8326474. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Cacioppo, John T.; Petty, Richard E.; Feinstein, Jeffrey A.; Jarvis, W. Blair G. (March 1996). "Dispositional Differences in Cognitive Motivation: The Life and Times of Individuals Varying in Need for Cognition". Psychological Bulletin. 119 (2): 197–253. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.197. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Thompson, E.P.; Chaiken, S.; Hazlewood, J.D. (1993). "Need for Cognition and Desire for Control as Moderators of Extrinsic Reward Effects: A Person × Situation Approach to the Study of Intrinsic Motivation". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 64 (6): 987–999. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.64.6.987. PMID 8326474. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Cacioppo, J.T.; Petty, R.E.; Kao, C.F. (1984). "The Efficient Assessment of Need for Cognition". Journal of Personality Assessment. 48 (3): 306–307. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa4803_13. PMID 16367530. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Lins de Holanda Coelho, Gabriel; H. P. Hanel, Paul; J. Wolf, Lukas (2018-08-10). "The Very Efficient Assessment of Need for Cognition: Developing a Six-Item Version". Assessment. 27 (8): 1870–1885. doi:10.1177/1073191118793208. ISSN 1073-1911. PMC 7545655. PMID 30095000. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7545655
Petty, Richard E.; Briñol, P; Loersch, C.; McCaslin, M.J. (2009). "Chapter 21. The Need for Cognition". In Leary, Mark R.; Hoyle, Rick H. (eds.). Handbook of Individual Differences in Social behavior. New York/London: The Guilford Press. pp. 318–329. ISBN 978-1-59385-647-2. 978-1-59385-647-2
Cacioppo, John T.; Petty, Richard E.; Feinstein, Jeffrey A.; Jarvis, W. Blair G. (March 1996). "Dispositional Differences in Cognitive Motivation: The Life and Times of Individuals Varying in Need for Cognition". Psychological Bulletin. 119 (2): 197–253. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.197. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Perlini, Arthur H.; Hansen, Samantha (2001). "Moderating effects of need for cognition on attractiveness stereotyping". Social Behavior and Personality. 29 (4): 313–321. doi:10.2224/sbp.2001.29.4.313. S2CID 142569446. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
The need for cognition and life satisfaction among college students http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCR/is_2_38/ai_n6130140/print
Petty, Richard E.; Briñol, P; Loersch, C.; McCaslin, M.J. (2009). "Chapter 21. The Need for Cognition". In Leary, Mark R.; Hoyle, Rick H. (eds.). Handbook of Individual Differences in Social behavior. New York/London: The Guilford Press. pp. 318–329. ISBN 978-1-59385-647-2. 978-1-59385-647-2
Blagrove, M; Hartnell, S.J. (2000). "Lucid dreaming: associations with internal locus of control, need for cognition and creativity" (PDF). Personality and Individual Differences. 28: 41–47. doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(99)00078-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-12-12. /wiki/Mark_Blagrove
Fleischhauer, M.; Enge, S.; Brocke, B.; Ullrich, J.; Strobel, A.; Strobel, A. (2009). "Same or Different? Clarifying the Relationship of Need for Cognition to Personality and Intelligence". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 36 (1): 82–96. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1026.1579. doi:10.1177/0146167209351886. PMID 19901274. S2CID 28728034. /wiki/CiteSeerX_(identifier)
Petty, Richard E.; Briñol, P; Loersch, C.; McCaslin, M.J. (2009). "Chapter 21. The Need for Cognition". In Leary, Mark R.; Hoyle, Rick H. (eds.). Handbook of Individual Differences in Social behavior. New York/London: The Guilford Press. pp. 318–329. ISBN 978-1-59385-647-2. 978-1-59385-647-2
Petty, Richard E.; Briñol, P; Loersch, C.; McCaslin, M.J. (2009). "Chapter 21. The Need for Cognition". In Leary, Mark R.; Hoyle, Rick H. (eds.). Handbook of Individual Differences in Social behavior. New York/London: The Guilford Press. pp. 318–329. ISBN 978-1-59385-647-2. 978-1-59385-647-2
Petty, Richard E.; Briñol, P; Loersch, C.; McCaslin, M.J. (2009). "Chapter 21. The Need for Cognition". In Leary, Mark R.; Hoyle, Rick H. (eds.). Handbook of Individual Differences in Social behavior. New York/London: The Guilford Press. pp. 318–329. ISBN 978-1-59385-647-2. 978-1-59385-647-2
Petty, Richard E.; Briñol, P; Loersch, C.; McCaslin, M.J. (2009). "Chapter 21. The Need for Cognition". In Leary, Mark R.; Hoyle, Rick H. (eds.). Handbook of Individual Differences in Social behavior. New York/London: The Guilford Press. pp. 318–329. ISBN 978-1-59385-647-2. 978-1-59385-647-2
Petty, Richard E.; Briñol, P; Loersch, C.; McCaslin, M.J. (2009). "Chapter 21. The Need for Cognition". In Leary, Mark R.; Hoyle, Rick H. (eds.). Handbook of Individual Differences in Social behavior. New York/London: The Guilford Press. pp. 318–329. ISBN 978-1-59385-647-2. 978-1-59385-647-2
Mussell, Patrick (2010). "Epistemic curiosity and related constructs: Lacking evidence of discriminant validity". Personality and Individual Differences. 49 (5): 506–510. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.014. https://www.citeulike.org/article/7387092
Mussell, Patrick (2010). "Epistemic curiosity and related constructs: Lacking evidence of discriminant validity". Personality and Individual Differences. 49 (5): 506–510. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.014. https://www.citeulike.org/article/7387092
Mussell, Patrick (2010). "Epistemic curiosity and related constructs: Lacking evidence of discriminant validity". Personality and Individual Differences. 49 (5): 506–510. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.014. https://www.citeulike.org/article/7387092
Mussell, Patrick (2010). "Epistemic curiosity and related constructs: Lacking evidence of discriminant validity". Personality and Individual Differences. 49 (5): 506–510. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.014. https://www.citeulike.org/article/7387092
Woo, S.E.; Harms, P.D.; Kuncel, N.R (2007). "Integrating personality and intelligence: Typical intellectual engagement and need for cognition". Personality and Individual Differences. 43 (6): 1635–1639. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2007.04.022. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2011-12-12. https://archive.today/20130128115917/http://www.mendeley.com/research/integrating-personality-and-intelligence-typical-intellectual-engagement-and-need-for-cognition/
Mussell, Patrick (2010). "Epistemic curiosity and related constructs: Lacking evidence of discriminant validity". Personality and Individual Differences. 49 (5): 506–510. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.014. https://www.citeulike.org/article/7387092
Fleischhauer, M.; Enge, S.; Brocke, B.; Ullrich, J.; Strobel, A.; Strobel, A. (2009). "Same or Different? Clarifying the Relationship of Need for Cognition to Personality and Intelligence". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 36 (1): 82–96. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1026.1579. doi:10.1177/0146167209351886. PMID 19901274. S2CID 28728034. /wiki/CiteSeerX_(identifier)
Fleischhauer, M.; Enge, S.; Brocke, B.; Ullrich, J.; Strobel, A.; Strobel, A. (2009). "Same or Different? Clarifying the Relationship of Need for Cognition to Personality and Intelligence". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 36 (1): 82–96. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1026.1579. doi:10.1177/0146167209351886. PMID 19901274. S2CID 28728034. /wiki/CiteSeerX_(identifier)
Sadowski, Cyril J.; Cogburn, Helen E. (1997). "Need for Cognition in the Big-Five Factor Structure". The Journal of Psychology. 131 (3): 307–312. doi:10.1080/00223989709603517. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Pacini, R; Epstein, S (1999). "The relation of rational and experiential information processing styles to personality, basic beliefs, and the ratio-bias phenomenon". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 76 (6): 972–87. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.76.6.972. PMID 10402681. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Fleischhauer, M.; Enge, S.; Brocke, B.; Ullrich, J.; Strobel, A.; Strobel, A. (2009). "Same or Different? Clarifying the Relationship of Need for Cognition to Personality and Intelligence". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 36 (1): 82–96. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1026.1579. doi:10.1177/0146167209351886. PMID 19901274. S2CID 28728034. /wiki/CiteSeerX_(identifier)
Fleischhauer, M.; Enge, S.; Brocke, B.; Ullrich, J.; Strobel, A.; Strobel, A. (2009). "Same or Different? Clarifying the Relationship of Need for Cognition to Personality and Intelligence". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 36 (1): 82–96. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1026.1579. doi:10.1177/0146167209351886. PMID 19901274. S2CID 28728034. /wiki/CiteSeerX_(identifier)
Fleischhauer, M.; Enge, S.; Brocke, B.; Ullrich, J.; Strobel, A.; Strobel, A. (2009). "Same or Different? Clarifying the Relationship of Need for Cognition to Personality and Intelligence". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 36 (1): 82–96. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1026.1579. doi:10.1177/0146167209351886. PMID 19901274. S2CID 28728034. /wiki/CiteSeerX_(identifier)
Osberg, Timothy M. (1987). "The Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Need for Cognition Scale". Journal of Personality Assessment. 51 (3): 441–450. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa5103_11. PMID 16372844. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Phares, E.J.; Chaplin, W.F. (1997). "Chapter 15. Personality and Intellect". Introduction to personality (Fourth ed.). New York: Longman. p. 521. ISBN 978-0-673-99456-1. 978-0-673-99456-1
Osberg, Timothy M. (1987). "The Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Need for Cognition Scale". Journal of Personality Assessment. 51 (3): 441–450. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa5103_11. PMID 16372844. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Lins de Holanda Coelho, Gabriel; H. P. Hanel, Paul; J. Wolf, Lukas (2018-08-10). "The Very Efficient Assessment of Need for Cognition: Developing a Six-Item Version". Assessment. 27 (8): 1870–1885. doi:10.1177/1073191118793208. ISSN 1073-1911. PMC 7545655. PMID 30095000. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7545655
Martin, Brett A. S.; Lang, Bodo; Wong, Stephanie (2004). "Conclusion Explicitness in Advertising: The Moderating Role of Need for Cognition and Argument Quality" (PDF). Journal of Advertising. 32 (4): 57–65. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.506.5890. doi:10.1080/00913367.2003.10639148. S2CID 140844572. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2012-07-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728055700/http://www.basmartin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Martin-Lang-Wong-2004.pdf
Martin, Brett A. S.; Sherrard, Michael J.; Wentzel, Daniel (2005). "The Role of Sensation Seeking and Need for Cognition on Web-Site Evaluations: A Resource-Matching Perspective" (PDF). Psychology and Marketing. 22 (2): 109–126. doi:10.1002/mar.20050. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2012-07-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728054220/http://www.basmartin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Martin-Sherarrd-Wentzel2005.pdf