Theories of cognitive development among emerging adults posit that environmental and age-related influences are responsible for individual differences in complex reasoning abilities. Exposure to and engagement with a diverse set of ideas and perspectives is stipulated to provide a context for which individuals are positioned to coordinate, integrate, and form new abstractions. This notion is implicit in the general education and elective requirements of university programs. In this study, we draw upon the cognitive psychology literature on emerging adult development to examine how intellectual breadth via course-taking patterns relates to gains in cognitive skills. Using recently collected longitudinal data of undergraduates enrolled at a large public university, we leverage a unique set of cognitive measures that tap a string of related constructs. We find moderate associations between intellectual breadth and reasoning skills, with notable differences across cognitive dimensions. Additionally, intellectual curiosity moderates the association between course breadth and cognition. Implications for theories of intellectual development are discussed in relation to undergraduate experiences.

中文翻译：

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本科新生的认知发展：课程学习广度如何支持技能形成

新兴成年人认知发展理论认为，环境和年龄相关的影响是造成复杂推理能力个体差异的原因。接触和参与各种不同的想法和观点是为了提供一个环境，使个人能够协调、整合和形成新的抽象概念。这一概念隐含在大学课程的通识教育和选修要求中。在这项研究中，我们利用有关成人成长的认知心理学文献来研究通过课程学习模式获得的知识广度与认知技能的提高之间的关系。利用最近收集的大型公立大学本科生的纵向数据，我们利用一套独特的认知测量方法来挖掘一系列相关的结构。我们发现智力广度和推理能力之间存在适度的关联，但不同认知维度之间存在显着差异。此外，求知欲调节课程广度和认知之间的关联。结合本科经历讨论了智力发展理论的含义。