Correlations between Intellectual Abilities and Features of the Motivational-Emotional Sphere in College-Age Boys and Girls

The research is aimed at clarifying and comparing the specifics of the correlations between intellectual abilities, manifestations of emotions and motives in boys and girls of student age. In the process of theoretical analysis, the researchers' points of view on the nature of intellectual abilities are compared, interpretations of the essential characteristics of the motivational and emotional sphere manifested in various spheres of life are presented. It is shown that the productivity of the intellectual abilities of the individual is conditioned by the prevailing motives and the degree of severity of emotional states. 105 individuals took part in the study: 40 female and 65 male students of the Siberian Polytechnicnical College at the age of 17-20 years. Various statistical methods were used to process the data. Correlation analysis allowed to reveal the correlations between the studied characteristics both in the whole sample and separately for male and female parts of it. In the total sample, an inverse correlation was found between respondents' assessment of their well-being and their performance in solving tasks, which is explained by the need for conscious regulation of intellectual activity. This correlation is most vividly manifested in the subtests on practical ability plans, in which the use of verbal-logical thinking and the synthetic act of correlating the task condition and actualization of the necessary knowledge are assumed. Statistically significant differences were found in the two-factor analysis of variance. On average, girls have a higher motivation to achieve success, more often conditioned by external factors. They are also more sensitive to the influence of mental adaptation processes on the productivity of thought operations. Young men, as a rule, have a higher subjective assessment of anxiety and a lower level of motivation to achieve success, which, however, does not significantly affect the results of their mental activity. In addition, the sample of young men has a higher level of mental stress, as focusing on the problem-solving process may require more cognitive resources.

Churikov I.Yu., Kagan E.S., Morozova I.S. (2024). Parameters of cognitive and motivational-emotional spheres of students: Data set. RusPsyData: Repository of psychological research and instruments. Moscow. DOI: 10.48612/MSUPE/dhg9-t9ku-h2at

1. Brykina K.A. Noveishie podkhody k ponyatiyu "kognitivnaya sfera detei starshego doshkol'nogo vozrasta" [Novel approaches to the concept of “cognitive sphere of senior preschool children”]. Tsifrovaya gumanitaristika i tekhnologii v obrazovanii: sbornik statei IV Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii = Digital Humanities and Technology in Education (DHTE 2023): Collection of Articles of the IV International Scientific and Practical Conference. November 16-17, 2023. Moscow: Publ. Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, 2023, pp. 288–295. (In Russ.).
2. Vygotsky L.S. Lekcii po psikhologii. Myshlenie I rech’ [Lectures on psychology. Thinking and speech]. Moscow: Publ. Iurait., 2024. 432 p. (In Russ.).
3. Doskin V.A., Lavrent'eva N.A., Strongina O.M. Psikhologicheskii test «SAN» primenitel'no k issledovaniyam v oblasti fiziologii truda [Psychological test “SAN” applied to research in occupational psychology]. Gigiena truda i profzabolevanii = Occupational hygiene and occupational diseases, 1975, no. 5, pp. 28–32. (In Russ.).
4. Eliseev O.P. Praktikum po psikhologii lichnosti [Practicum on Psycholofy of Personality] S. Petersburg: Publ. “Piter”, 2003, pp. 431–433. (In Russ.).
5. Il’in E.P. Motivatsiya I motivy [Motivation and motives]. S. Petersburg: Publ. “Piter”, 2000, pp. 433–434. (In Russ.).
6. Kulikov L.V. Rukovodstvo k metodikam diagnostiki psikhicheskikh sostoyaniĭ, nastroeniĭ i sfery chuvstv. Razrabotka i proverka metodik [Guide to methods of diagnostics of mental states, moods and sphere of feelings]. S. Petersburg: SPbU, 2003. (In Russ.).
7. Mazilov V.A., Slepko Y.N. Sposobnosti kak ob"yasnitel'noe ponyatie v sovremennoi psikhologii [Abilities as an explanatory concept in modern psychology]. Sibirskii psikhologicheskii zhurnal = Siberian Psychological Journal, 2022, no. 85, pp. 35–50. DOI:10.17223/17267080/85/2 (In Russ.).
8. Morozova I.S., Bugrova N.A., Kretsan Z.V., Evseenkova E.V. Student’s Choice of an Individual Educational Trajectory: Subjective Position and Selection Strategies. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychological Science and Education, 2023. Vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 30–45 (In Russ.).
9. Nemchin T.A. Sostoyaniya nervno-psikhicheskogo napryazheniya [States of neuropsychic stress]. Leningrad: Publ. LSU, 1983. 167 p. (In Russ.).
10. Perikova E.I., Byzova V.M., Lovyagina A.E. Psikhicheskaya samoregulyatsiya studentov v trudnykh zhiznennykh situatsiyakh [Mental self-regulation of students in difficult situations]. Vestnik Vyatskogo Gosudarstvennovo Universiteta = Bulletin of the Vyatka State University, 2019, no. 2, pp. 99–106. DOI:10.25730/VSU.7606.19.024 (In Russ.).
11. Raigorodskii D.Ya. Prakticheskaya psikhodiagnostika. Metodiki i testy. Uchebnoe posobie [Practical psychodiagnostics. Methods and tests. Training manual]. Samara: Publishing House “Bakhrakh-M”, 2001. 672 p. (In Russ.).
12. Tunik E.E. Amthauer intelligence test. Data analysis and interpretation [Test intellekta Amtkhauera. Analiz i interpretatsiya dannykh]. S.Petersburg: Publ. «Rech'», 2009. 96 p. (In Russ.).
13. Churikov I.Yu., Kagan E.S., Morozova I.S. Parametry kognitivnoy i motivatsionno-emotsionalnoy sfer u studentov [Parameters of cognitive and motivational-emotional spheres of students]. [Dataset]. RusPsyData: Repozitorii psikhologicheskikh issledovanii i instrumentov [Psychological Research Data & Tools Repository. Moscow. 2024. DOI:10.48612/MSUPE/dhg9-t9ku-h2at (In Russ.).
14. Shapiro S.A. Motivatsiya i stimulirovanie personala [Motivation and Stimulation of Personnel]. Moscow: Publ. “GrossMedia”, 2005. 224 p. (In Russ.).
15. Shilova N.P. Vzroslenie v predstavleniyakh sovremennykh yunoshei i devushek [Growing Up in the Views of Modern Boys and Girls]. Sovremennaya zarubezhnaya psikhologiya = Jourmal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 2023. Vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 163–172. DOI:10.17759/jmfp.2023120315 (In Russ.).
16. Yakhin K.K., Mendelevich D.M. Klinicheskii oprosnik dlya vyyavleniya i otsenki nevroticheskikh sostoyanii. Klinicheskaya i meditsinskaya psikhologiya: Prakticheskoe rukovodstvo. [Clinical questionnaire for identification and assessment of neurotic states. Clinical and Medical Psychology: Practical Guide]. Moscow: Publ. “MEDpress”, 1998, pp. 545–552. (In Russ.).
17. Abdelrahman R.M. Metacognitive awareness and academic motivation and their impact on academic achievement of Ajman University students. Heliyon, 2020. Vol. 6, no. 9. DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04192
18. Barrett L.F. How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. 448 p.
19. Brainerd C.J. Piaget’s Theory of Intelligence. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1978. 396 p.
20. Cabras C., Konyukhova T., Lukianova N., Mondo M., Sechi C. Gender and country differences in academic motivation, coping strategies, and academic burnout in a sample of Italian and Russian first-year university students. Heliyon, 2023. Vol. 9, no. 6. DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16617
21. Florescu M.C., Bochiș L.N., Barth K.M., Indrieș M. Can Dysfunctional Negative Emotions Explain Students’ Level of Academic Motivation in Online Learning at University? Revista Românească Pentru Educație Multidimensionala, 2023. Vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 55–72. DOI:10.18662/rrem/15.2/720
22. Forgas J.P. Mood and judgment: The affect infusion model (AIM). Psychological Bulletin, 1995. Vol. 117, no. 1, pp. 39–66. DOI:10.1037/0033-2909.117.1.39
23. Gross J.J. The Emerging Field of Emotion Regulation: An Integrative Review. Review of General Psychology, 1998. Vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 271–299. DOI:10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271
24. Keller L., Preckel F., Eccles J.S., Brunner M. Gender Differences in Top-Performing Math Students’ Achievement and Motivation: An IPD Meta-Analysis. ZPID (Leibniz Institute for Psychology). 2021. DOI:10.23668/psycharchives.4830
25. Lazarus R., Folkman S. Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Folkman, Susan. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 1984. 156 p.
26. Lee W.W.S. Relationships among grit, academic performance, perceived academic failure, and stress in associate degree students. Journal of Adolescence, 2017. Vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 148–152. DOI:10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.08.006
27. Mejía-Rodríguez A.M., Luyten H., Meelissen M.R.M. Gender Differences in Mathematics Self-concept Across the World: An Exploration of Student and Parent Data of TIMSS 2015. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 2021. Vol. 19, pp. 1229–1250. DOI:10.1007/s10763-020-10100-x
28. Pelch M. Gendered differences in academic emotions and their implications for student success in STEM. International Journal of STEM Education, 2018. Vol. 5, no. 33. DOI:10.1186/s40594-018-0130-7
29. Shalaby Y.M., Elkasaby W.H. Direct and Indirect Effects of Academic Stress, Coping Strategies, Academic Self-Motivation, on Adaptation among University Students. Migration Letters, 2023. Vol. 21, no. S1, pp. 100–118. DOI:10.59670/ml.v21iS1.5983
30. Shin M., Bolkan S. Intellectually stimulating students’ intrinsic motivation: the mediating influence of student engagement, self-efficacy, and student academic support. Communication Education, 2021. Vol. 70, no. 2, pp. 146–164. DOI:10.1080/03634523.2020.1828959
31. Sölpük Turhan N. Gender Differences in Academic Motivation: A Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, 2020. Vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 211–224. DOI:10.17220/ijpes.2020.02.019
32. Sternberg R.J. Beyond IQ: A triarchic theory of human intelligence. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985.
33. Voica C., Singer F.M., Stan E. How are motivation and self-efficacy interacting in problem-solving and problem-posing? Educational Studies in Mathematics, 2020. Vol. 105, pp. 487–517. DOI:0.1007/s10649-020-10005-0