The article is devoted to the impact of learning motivation on the development of intellectual abilities. The author describes the structure of learning motivation and gives a brief description of its main structural components (needs, motives, targets, formation of learning activities, interest in learning, and emotional condition). Educational-cognitive motives are highlighted as the most appropriate learning activities. The article considers the factors affecting the formation of positive learning motivation among students. The author shows that learning motivation has a direct influence on the development of intellectual abilities of younger adolescents. The correlation analysis of the experimental results used in the research which was conducted among the 6th form students of one of Saratov lyceums leads to the conclusion that the degree of learning motivation influence on the development of younger adolescents' intellectual abilities is high.