Although the various tests are intended to measure conceptually distinguishable
traits, there are many likely sources of shared variance. For example, though
the CRT is intended to measure cognitive reflection, performance is surely aided by
reading comprehension and mathematical skills (which the ACT and SAT also
measure). Similarly, though NFC and intelligence are distinguishable, the list of
ways in which those with high NFC differ from those with low NFC (see Cacioppi
et al., 1996) sounds very much like the list one would create if people were sorted
on any measure of cognitive ability. Namely, those with higher NFC were found to
do better on arithmetic problems, anagrams, trivia tests and college coursework, to
be more knowledgeable, more influenced by the quality of an argument, to recall
more of the information to which they are exposed, to generate more “task relevant
thoughts” and to engage in greater “information-processing activity.”
The empirical and conceptual overlap between these tests suggests that they
would all predict time and risk preferences and raises the question of their relative