Topic > Researchers who introduced general intelligence or the “G” factor

Spearman (1904) was one of the first researchers to introduce general intelligence, commonly known as the “g” factor. Spearman (1904) had thought that the “g” factor was the reason behind performance in tests of mental ability. Spearman (1904) had also stated that individuals who perform well in one area also excel in other areas. For example, an individual who performed well on a math test will also perform well on other tests. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAfter the work of Spearman (1904), came Thurstone (1934), who thought that Spearman's (1904) theory was limited due to the fact that the variables only had “g” in common. Thurstone (1934) suggested that intelligence came from seven abilities as opposed to abilities resulting from the “g” factor, as Spearman (1904) had imposed. The seven skills introduced by Thurstone (1934) are; verbal comprehension, word fluency, ease of calculation, spatial visualization, associative memory, perceptual speed and reasoning. These mental abilities, explained by Thurstone (1934), are primary mental abilities necessary for a person to be successful in their environment. However, another researcher, Cattell (1971), agreed with the work of Spearman (1904) regarding the existence of a “g” factor and disagreed with the work of Thurstone (1934). This is because Cattell (1971) argued that intercorrelations imply the existence of an overall “g” factor. Cattell's (1971) theory is slightly different from Spearman's (1904) theory, as Cattell (1971) proposes that “g” can be achieved through two factors; crystallized intelligence (Gc) and fluid intelligence (Gf). Gc represents the skills and knowledge acquired over a long period of time. Gf is an individual's reasoning ability, which is natural and grows with the individual until adulthood. General Mental Ability (GMA) tests are used in job interviews to measure an individual's skills and personality. These tests are seen as strong predictors of how new hires will perform on the job in most work environments. GMA tests tend to be more accurate at predicting job performance with more complex job roles. The connection between GMA and job performance is stronger when the employee has a lot of experience in the industry. If a new hire were to learn the role faster than another employee with the same experience, there would be a greater chance that the person who learned faster will perform better. Therefore it is essential to test the candidate's skills even if they may have previous experience. Although GMA is seen as a strong indicator of job performance, there is research showing that the correlation between GMA and job performance weakens over time (Keil & Cortina 2001). . This is because when new hires initially start out, they are more focused on learning the basic tasks and duties that their role entails. As they gain more experience and understanding of their jobs, the need for job-specific development is reduced. Therefore, they are less dependent on GMA to execute their shot and instead rely on their individual characteristics, such as personality, to meet the requirements of their position. However, this does not mean that GMA will become irrelevant; there may be more significant factors that will have a greater impact on performance as time progresses and individuals gain more experience. Furthermore, it.