Schizotypy, Manual Dexterity, and Cognitive Ability Distinguish STEM and Non-STEM Students

The neuroscience of education is an approach to the scholarship of learning and teaching that draws on cognitive and brain sciences. It holds potential for enhancing pedagogical understanding, such as the variation between students in terms of ability. One such example is schizotypy, a personality trait that is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, cognitive weaknesses, and relatively low academic performance. Schizotypy has been reported to be lower in STEM students compared, to other groups, particularly arts students. But less is known about cognitive ability variations between students in different majors. We compared three groups of university students, studying STEM, arts, or social science. All were evaluated with a self-report measure of schizotypy, and a battery of tests focused on cognitive, social cognition, and motor skill. The results confirmed that the study groups did indeed vary on schizotypy and task performance. Contrary to expectations, STEM students were found to be relatively high on positive aspects of schizotypy, scoring higher on the cognitiveperceptual subscale than non-STEM students, and they also scored below non-STEM students on a perceptual task. We also observed associations between schizotypy and performance measures across the full sample. Specifically, students with more negative schizotypy, scoring relatively high on the interpersonal subscale, had significantly better executive function (switching) and significantly worse manual dexterity. We conclude that schizotypy (as a form of neurodiversity), cognitive ability, and motor dexterity, may be important factors linked to selection of study major among university students, which has implications for their educational achievements.