Impulsivity, intelligence, and academic performance: Testing the interaction hypothesis

• Impulsivity was negatively related to academic performance and intelligence.
• Intelligence was positively related to academic performance.
• Impulsivity and intelligence each explained unique variance in academic performance.
• Impulsivity and intelligence interacted in predicting academic performance.
• Impulsivity was more strongly linked to academic performance among bright students.

Previous research suggests a moderator effect of intelligence on the relationship between impulsivity and academic achievement. However, the interaction hypothesis has not been adequately tested so far. The present study was aimed to analyze the interrelations between impulsivity, intelligence, and academic performance, with special interest in testing the interaction effect between impulsivity and intelligence in the prediction of performance. To that end, 174 university students, aged from 18 to 37 years, were tested. Analyses were carried out at the latent level in order to minimize measurement error and to increase statistical power. The main findings of the study show that: (a) impulsivity was negatively related to both academic performance and intelligence; (b) intelligence was positively related to academic performance; (c) impulsivity and intelligence contributed significantly and independently to predict and explain academic performance; and (d) there was a significant interaction effect between impulsivity and intelligence in predicting academic performance, such that impulsivity was more strongly associated with performance among the more intelligent students than among the less intelligent ones.

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