Psychology Students, Alumni, Dr. Brown Publish on Natural Talent and Hard Work
Psychology students Katie Jobson ’18 and Jennifer Link ’18, along with alumna Nicole Troy ’16 and Dr. Christina Brown, associate professor of Psychology, published their research, “Contextual and personal determinants of preferring success attributed to natural talent or striving,” with the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
The paper examined six studies that compared achievements and evaluations of people perceived to have natural talent verses those who are perceived to be hard workers, in order to examine if the preconception of natural talent yields more professional success. However, they found that diligent work was awarded more than natural talent. In the studies, those who worked hard for achievements were more likely to be perceived as “naturals” by their evaluating professionals, and natural talent was identified as being less diligent.
