Theoretical Background
The notion that intelligence and sensory sensitivity are connected harkens back to Galton (1883). Giftedness in children has sometimes been linked to sensitivity and intensity, which may lead to psychosocial stress and adjustment problems (Roedell, 1984; Silverman, 1997). In gifted counseling, a connection between sensory processing sensitivity (SPS)—a person's individual responsiveness to sensory and social stimuli (Aron & Aron, 1997) is often made, too. However, systematic studies examining this relationship are still scarce (for an exception see Gere, Capps, Mitchell, & Grubbs, 2009, who found gifted children to be more sensitive in many respects) and are focused on group differences rather than the entire ability spectrum. The present study examines in how far the posited relationship between intelligence and holds true in a representative adult sample.
Methods
Sample. We examined a representative sample of N = 405 German adults (49% men, age 18–70, M = 44.70, SD = 14.59).
Materials. SPS was assessed used an adapted German version of Aron and Aron's (1997) Highly-Sensitive Personality scale (Ostendorf & Krönung, 2015; α = .76). For fluid intelligence (speeded reasoning), a computer-based version of the mini-q (Baudson & Preckel, 2016; α = .98) was used. Crystallized intelligence was assessed with the BEFKI-GC-K (Schipolowski, Wilhelm, Schroeders, Kovaleva, Kemper, & Rammstedt, 2014; α = .70–.82).
Results
The HSP Full Score was not significantly correlated to any of the intelligence measures (mini-q: r = .079, BEFKI-GC-K: r = .068, ns).
Discussion
Our study is the first to examine the relationship between SPS and intelligence, showing that the relationship between the two seems negligible. It is conceivable that the notion of a connection comes from sample selectivity, e.g., gifted individuals seeking counseling. Future studies should seek to replicate these results using broader, more comprehensive measures of intelligence.
