Family Configuration, Intelligence, and Grade Point Averages of College Students

Summary

The confluence model, proposed by Zajonc and Markus to explain the effects of certain family variables on cognitive development, was examined on the basis of the intelligence test scores and GPAs of a sample of college students (N = 148). Intelligence was measured by means of the Shipley Scale; GPAs were obtained from the college registrar. While results were generally consistent with the predictions of the model, only a small amount of cognitive variance was accounted for by the confluence variables and the model was viewed as being of limited practical value.