Personality Factors Related to College Success

Abstract

Students demonstrating outstanding promise were placed in an honors section in introductory psychology. A control group matched on grade point average, sex, major field, and class remained in the larger lecture section. The honors group attained a higher level of achievement, exhibited more positive attitudes toward psychology, studied more, initiated more independent work, missed fewer classes, and enjoyed the course more. It was suggested that an increment in the level of achievement motivation, mediated by downward shift in the probability of success, interacted with the augmented environmental stimulation to facilitate the performance of the honors students.