Interest–Ability Profiles: An Integrative Approach to Knowledge Acquisition

Abstract

Cognitive abilities and interests both play an important role in guiding knowledge acquisition, but most previous studies have examined them separately. The current study used a large and representative dataset to integrate interests and abilities using a person-centered approach that examines how distinct profiles of interests and abilities relate to individual strengths and weaknesses in knowledge. Two key findings emerged. First, eight interest–ability profiles were generated from Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), which replicated and extended the interrelations of interests and abilities found in previous studies using variable-centered approaches. Second, each profile’s strongest knowledge scores corresponded to their strongest abilities and interests, highlighting the importance of interest–ability profiles for guiding the development of knowledge. Importantly, in some domains, the lower ability profiles were actually more knowledgeable than higher ability profiles. Overall, these findings suggest that people learn best when given opportunities to acquire knowledge relevant to both their interests and abilities. We discuss how interest–ability profiles inform integrative theories of psychological development and present implications for education and career development.

How do Intellectually Curious and Interested People Learn and Attain Knowledge? A Focus on Behavioral Traces of Information Seeking

“…Surprisingly, intellectual curiosity and personal interest did not predict information-seeking profile membership, which contrasts with prior research that relied on self-reported adaptive learning behavior (e.g., Dan & Todd, 2014;Evans et al, 2003) and the results of Study 1. However, in line with previous research, which employed different markers of knowledge attainment (e.g., Anglim et al, 2022;Hyland et al, 2022), individuals scoring high on intellectual curiosity and interest performed better on the knowledge test. Again, no empirical support for the OFCI model's predictions on the combined effects of curiosity and interest could be established, as we did not obtain significant interaction effects on adaptive information-seeking behavior or knowledge attainment.…”

Knowledge, skills, and workforce development: Commentary on Ackerman (2023).

“…Differing educational and career trajectories lead to knowledge and skill differentiation, such as in carpentry versus physics, to borrow Ackerman’s (2023) example. In other words, what is less differentiated in the early stages of knowledge and skill acquisition can become much more differentiated over time, as people invest their interests and motivation into increasingly specialized educational and occupational pursuits (e.g., Ackerman, 1996; Hyland et al, 2022). In this process of deciding which areas of knowledge and skills to invest in (and which areas to minimize or ignore), there are “only so many hours in the day,” as the saying goes.…”

The Comprehensive Assessment of Basic Interests—O*NET (CABIN-NET): A Hierarchical RIASEC Interest Measure with 20 Basic Interests

“…The connection between interest and knowledge has long been recognized. Interests provide the direction and motivation through which individuals apply their intellect to accumulate knowledge, which in turn strengthens their ability to excel in specific domains (Ackerman, 1996;Hyland et al, 2022;Nye et al, 2021). In the context of work, research has shown that vocational interests are positively correlated with corresponding job knowledge (Reeve & Hakel, 2000, Table 1), and when people work in occupations that better fit their interests, they acquire higher levels of relevant job knowledge and show better job performance (Van Iddekinge et al, 2011).…”