The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked discussions on its psychological impact, particularly in relation to cognition and critical thinking. Increased AI use has been linked to cognitive offloading, potentially reducing critical thinking abilities (Gerlich, 2025). This raises concerns about preserving reflective cognitive processes amid AI's rapid growth.
An individual's need for cognition (NFC)—their enjoyment and desire for thinking—may also influence AI engagement. Those with higher NFC tend to critically evaluate AI outputs more effectively (Buçinca et al., 2021). Additionally, NFC correlates with personality traits: positively with Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience, and negatively with Neuroticism (Sadowski & Cogburn, 1997). However, research exploring connections between NFC, Big Five personality traits, and AI-related attitudes/emotions remains scarce.
This study aims to examine these relationships using an online survey of 250 participants aged 18 and older. Participants will provide demographic information and respond to questions about their AI knowledge, opinions, and emotions. The Need for Cognition Scale (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982) will measure NFC, while the BFI-10 (Rammstedt & John, 2007) will assess personality traits.
Pearson correlations will identify links between NFC, personality traits, and AI-related attitudes and emotions. Additionally, a multiple linear regression will determine how NFC and personality traits predict negative attitudes and emotions toward AI, with these serving as the dependent variable. Findings from this study will help clarify how individual differences shape AI use, including the role of critical thinking tendencies and personality in influencing perceptions and interactions with AI.