Piagetian tasks measure intelligence and intelligence tests assess cognitive development: A reanalysis

A reanalysis of the intercorrelations of Wechsler subtests, achievements tests, and Piagetian tasks originally published by Stephens et al. (1972) has corrected errors in the original design and has used models which allow both differences and similarities to appear. Unit weighted composites of the two sets of tests were formed after first partialling chronological age out of the complete table of intercorrelations. The correlation between the composites is .876 which corrects, using split-half estimates of reliabilities, to .918. Next the matrix of partial correlations was factored and the factors rotated to a hierarchical structure. Piagetian tasks contribute almost equally to the definition of the general factor in intelligence along with the Wechsler subtests and the achievement tests. The general factor, furthermore, makes the single largest contribution to the variance of most of the measures of both sets. The smaller group factors consist of an Academic Achievement factor and three Piagetian factors. Of the latter the largest and most clearly identified is the factor called Operational Thought in the earlier analysis, but is here described simply as Conservation. It is concluded that the evidence for communality in function far outweighs the differences between intelligence tests and Piagetian tasks.     

Investigating the relationship of working memory tasks and fluid intelligence tests by means of the fixed-links model in considering the impurity problem

The impurity of measures is considered as cause of erroneous interpretations of observed relationships. This paper concentrates on impurity with respect to the relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence. The means for the identification of impurity was the fixed-links model, which enabled the decomposition of variance into experimental and non-experimental parts. A substantial non-experimental part could be expected to signify impurity. In a sample of 345 participants error scores and reaction times, which were obtained by the Exchange Test, represented working memory, and Advanced Progressive Matrices served as measure of fluid intelligence. The four independent latent variables of the model associated with error scores and reaction times led to a multiple correlation .67 with the latent variable of fluid intelligence. However, there was impurity since the decomposition by means of the fixed-links model showed that only 45% of the common variance was due to working memory.     

Inspection time and the relationship among elementary cognitive tasks, general intelligence, and specific cognitive abilities

The relationship between inspection time (IT) and paper-and-pencil tests of cognitive ability is well documented. However, the extent to which IT relates to cognitive ability through general intelligence or through group factors such as performance has not been fully addressed. Another unresolved issue is whether IT relates to psychometric intelligence independent from other elementary cognitive tasks. The current study examined these issues in a sample of 6–13-year-old twins drawn from the Western Reserve Twin Project (WRTP) (n=568 participants). Analyses suggest that IT and other elementary tasks predict general intelligence. IT also predicts Performance ability while other elementary tasks do not. Furthermore, IT contributes variance to cognitive ability independent from other elementary tasks. These suggest that multiple indices of elementary cognitive ability are necessary to fully understand their relationship with complex psychometric measures.     

The relationship between three auditory inspection time tasks and general intelligence

Three inspection-time tasks measuring the amount of time required to discriminate differences in pitch, loudness and phase were administered alongside the Multidimensional Ability Battery and Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices to 75 undergraduate students. The auditory tasks were administered adaptively, and thresholds were estimated by fitting a logistic function to each set of data. After correcting for restriction of range the three thresholds intercorrelated significantly, and correlated between −0.33 and −0.68 with scores on the ability tests. A composite auditory inspection time score correlated between −0.35 and −0.42 with the ability measures (−0.50 to −0.54 after correction). Although strategy-use enhanced performance on the pitch inspection-time task, strategy use was unrelated to intelligence and did not mediate the correlation between inspection time and intelligence.     

Classification of spelling errors and their relationship to reading ability, sex, grade placement, and intelligence

A simple scheme for the classification of spelling errors was applied to the errors of four groups of children, totaling 483 subjects, in grades 3 to 12. The subjects in two of the groups, Group I and Group IV, consisted of individuals who attended special schools for children with dyslexia or specific reading disability (SRD). Group II included school age siblings of subjects in Group I, and Group III included subjects drawn from regular school programs. It was shown that (a) type of spelling error is independent of sex, (b) there are no consistent effects of IQ or grade level on type of spelling error, and (c) disabled readers as a group are more likely to produce dysphonetic errors than are normal readers. Although the type of spelling error produced by children who had a spelling disability only was shown to be similar to that of normal readers and to differ from that of disabled readers as a group, disabled readers were shown to differ among themselves, lending strong support to the use of spelling error type as a characteristic for identifying subgroups.     

The g-loading of intelligence tests and their relationship with reaction times: A comment on Ruchalla et al.

Ruchalla, Schalt, and Vogel (1985) reported a negative correlation between the g-loadedness of a number of intelligence test subtests and the extent to which the subtests correlated with reaction times (RTs), a result contrary to the position of Jensen and others. A number of possible methodological problems with Ruchalla et al. are described, as are the results of two other studies pertinent to the issue. These results indicate that the g-loadedness of different subtests is in some cases highly positively correlated with the subtests' correlations with RTs, whereas in other cases the relationship is negligible or negative. The key factor appears to be the relative complexity of the RT test: more complex tests showing a strong positive correlation. In the context of these findings, Ruchalla et al.'s results are not out of line—they simply do not tell the whole story.     

Convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of competing measures of emotional intelligence

This study investigated the convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of one ability test of emotional intelligence (EI)--the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso-Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT)--and two self-report measures of EI--the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) and the self-report EI test (SREIT). The MSCEIT showed minimal relations to the EQ-i and SREIT, whereas the latter two measures were moderately interrelated. Among EI measures, the MSCEIT was discriminable from well-studied personality and well-being measures, whereas the EQ-i and SREIT shared considerable variance with these measures. After personality and verbal intelligence were held constant, the MSCEIT was predictive of social deviance, the EQ-i was predictive of alcohol use, and the SREIT was inversely related to academic achievement. In general, results showed that ability EI and self-report EI are weakly related and yield different measurements of the same person.     

Feedback and the rationing of time and effort among competing tasks

The study described here tested a model of how characteristics of the feedback environment influence the allocation of resources (time and effort) among competing tasks. Results demonstrated that performers invest more resources on tasks for which higher quality (more timely and more specific) feedback is available; this effect was partially mediated by task salience and task expectancies. Feedback timing and feedback specificity demonstrated both main and interaction effects on resource allocations. Results also demonstrated that performers do better on tasks for which higher quality feedback is available; this effect was mediated by resources allocated to tasks. The practical and theoretical implications of the role of the feedback environment in managing performance are discussed.     

Familiarity effects in visual comparison tasks and their implications for studying human intelligence.

Two experiments were carried out to study the effect of prior knowledge on cognitive processes related to human intelligence by examining its role in defining task novelty. In Experiment 1, Ss performed a letter-matching task involving same-different judgments based on 4 rules of sameness: physical identity, form, system, and name. When the stimuli were unfamiliar, performance on the name classification task was correlated with measures of fluid abilities, whereas when the stimuli were familiar, performance on this task was not correlated with measures of fluid abilities. In Experiment 2, Ss performed 3 different forms of a mental rotation task. When the stimuli were unfamiliar, the slope of the rotation function was correlated with a test of fluid ability, whereas when the stimuli were familiar, the slope of the rotation function was not correlated with a test of fluid ability. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the nature of task complexity and the way knowledge and processing interact in the development of skilled performance.     

The relationship of confabulation to the memory,intelligence, suggestibility and personality of prison inmates

This study investigates the relationship of confabulation to memory, intelligence, suggestibility and personality, as measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Gough Socialisation Scale. The subjects were 255 Icelandic prison inmates. Confabulation was measured from the memory narrative of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS 1). The two components of confabulation—distortions and fabrications—were scored and analysed separately. Distortions and fabrications correlated poorly with each other. Furthermore, the confabulation scores correlated very poorly with the other psychological variables. The only positive correlations were a positive relationship with GSS Shift and a negative relationship with intelligence.     

Drive level effects on tasks of narrow and broad attention

Easterbrook (1959) has predicted that (a) performance on tasks involving the use of a wide range of cues will be impaired under high-drive conditions and that (b) performance on tasks requiring the use of only a narrow range of cues will be facilitated under such conditions.

Using the Porteus Maze Test, relatively clear evidence was obtained to support the first prediction. Using the Stroop Colour Word Interference Test some evidence was obtained in support of the second prediction.     

A comparison of laboratory and clinical working memory tests and their prediction of fluid intelligence

The working memory (WM) construct is conceptualized similarly across domains of psychology, yet the methods used to measure WM function vary widely. The present study examined the relationship between WM measures used in the laboratory and those used in applied settings. A large sample of undergraduates completed three laboratory-based WM measures (operation span, listening span, and n-back), as well as the WM subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III and the Wechsler Memory Scale-III. Performance on all of the WM subtests of the clinical batteries shared positive correlations with the lab measures; however, the Arithmetic and Spatial Span subtests shared lower correlations than the other WM tests. Factor analyses revealed that a factor comprising scores from the three lab WM measures and the clinical subtest, Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS), provided the best measurement of WM. Additionally, a latent variable approach was taken using fluid intelligence as a criterion construct to further discriminate between the WM tests. The results revealed that the lab measures, along with the LNS task, were the best predictors of fluid abilities.     

Trait emotional intelligence and leadership self-efficacy: their relationship with collective efficacy

In this article, a leadership model is presented, with which to investigate the relationship of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI), leadership self-efficacy and leader's task self-efficacy with collective task efficacy and group performance. The sample was made up of 217 undergraduate students, randomly assigned to work teams of 1 leader and 2 followers that were requested to perform a production task. An adapted version of the Schutte Self-Report Inventory (SSRI; Schutte et al., 1998) was used to measure trait EI. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Results indicated that task self-efficacy was a mediator between leadership self-efficacy and collective task efficacy; the latter, in turn, was the best predictor of group performance. No significant relationship was found between trait EI and collective task efficacy although, unexpectedly, trait EI was positively associated with leadership self-efficacy. Implications of the results are discussed.     

The relationship of emotional intelligence with academic intelligence and the Big Five

The present study examines the relationship of self‐ and other ratings of emotional intelligence with academic intelligence and personality, as well as the incremental validity of emotional intelligence beyond academic intelligence and personality in predicting academic and social success. A sample of 116 students filled in measures for emotional and academic intelligence, the Big Five, and indicators of social and academic success. Moreover, other ratings were obtained from four different raters on emotional intelligence and social success. Factor analysis revealed three emotional intelligence dimensions that were labelled as ‘Empathy’, ‘Autonomy’, and ‘Emotional Control’. Little evidence was found for a relationship between emotional and academic intelligence. Academic intelligence was low and inconsistently related to emotional intelligence, revealing both negative and positive interrelations. Strong relationships were found of the emotional intelligence dimensions with the Big Five, particularly with Extraversion and Emotional Stability. Interestingly, the emotional intelligence dimensions were able to predict both academic and social success above traditional indicators of academic intelligence and personality. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study of some factors related to intelligence

From the factorial analysis of a battery of nineteen individual tests seven factors were obtained, six of them being interpreted. Some of these factors are probably related to similar ones isolated in different batteries and by different authors. The testProgressive Matrices here analyzed is loaded in some of the factors, as was expected according to the nature of its problems and to previous experience with the test. The loadings of the tests and of the factors in the second-order factors are given. It is expected that this extension of factor theory will prove useful for the isolation of more fundamental psychological parameters, although at present it is difficult to evaluate precisely the theoretical and practical implications of this aspect of factor analysis.     

A multilevel approach to the relationship between birth order and intelligence

Many studies show relationships between birth order and intelligence but use cross-sectional designs or manifest other threats to internal validity. Multilevel analyses with a control variable show that when these threats are removed, two major results emerge: (a) birth order has no significant influence on children's intelligence and (b) earlier reported birth order effects on intelligence are attributable to factors that vary between, not within, families. Analyses on 7- to 8 - and 13- to 14-year-old children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth support these conclusions. When hierarchical data structures, age variance of children, and within-family versus between-family variance sources are taken into account, previous research is seen in a new light.