Personality and scholarship.

Two groups of National Merit Scholarship students were selected on the basis of attendance at educational institutions ranked high or low in the production of future scholars and scientists. Four hypotheses pertaining to expected personality differences between matched groups from both sources were explored by means of the following instruments: the Omnibus Personality Inventory, the Strong Vocational Interest Blank, and the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values. In general, the hypotheses were firmly supported, and it was concluded that students of high ability attending highly productive institutions have a pattern of traits, values, and attitudes which is more closely related to serious intellectual pursuits than have students of high ability attending less productive institutions (16).