Factor analysis of the army air forces sheppard field battery of experimental aptitude tests

A factor analysis was made of 39 experimental printed aptitude tests and seven reference tests selected from the Army Air Forces Aircrew Classification Battery. Thirteen factors were extracted and two independent orthogonal rotational solutions were completed. Twelve factors were interpreted. Of these, seven were clearly identifiable with previously known factors: numerical, perceptual-speed, spatial-relations, visualization, visual-memory, paired-associates-memory, and length-estimation factors. A planning factor was not as clearly identifiable. A reasoning factor was probably a composite of two or more factors that failed to separate. A new factor possibly has to do with orientation with respect to the points of the compass. Two factors were doublets, each apparently specific to one kind of test. Better conceptions were gained of the spatial-relations and visualization factors and of the kinds of tests that measure them best. Efforts to improve measures of unique factors were not uniformly successful. The attempt to duplicate a psychomotor test rather directly by analogy in printed form failed almost completely.For support of a large part of the investigation the senior author is indebted to the Social Sciences Research Council for a grant-in-aid. Dr. Fruchter supervised the computational work in the extraction of factors and in one of the rotational solutions. Much of the work was done while he was employed by the Air Training Command Human Resources Research Center. While the opinions and conclusions are those of the authors, they wish to express their appreciation to that organization and especially to Dr. John T. Dailey for making the facilities possible and to Mr. William B. Lecznar for technical and computational assistance.