Individual differences definition
All of the ways in which people differ from one another, especially psychological differences. Included are all differences in personality and intelligence. (Oxford Dictionary of Psychology, 2006)
Performance factors
- Intelligence
- Emotional intelligence
- Personality
- Other individual differences
Structural models of general intelligence
- Spearman: hierarchical model of general intelligence
- Thurstone: Primary mental abilities
Systems Models of intelligence
- Gardner’s Multiple intelligences
- Sternberg’s Triarchic theory of intelligence
- Emotional intelligence
What does GMA stand for?
'’General mental ability’’ or ‘‘general cognitive ability’’
GMA definition
a very general mental
capability that … involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience” (Gottfredson, 1997, p. 13)
The idea of GMA
The “g factor” underlies all specific cognitive abilities
such as: verbal ability, numerical ability, spatial ability,
problem solving etc.
How is GMA measured?
Measured via any test batteries of specific cog. abilities.
Spearman’s ‘‘G’’- 1904 idea
- One GMA factor underlies specific cognitive
abilities - One GMA factor can explain the correlations among
different specific cognitive abilities - E.g. if you get a high score on verbal ability you are
also likely to get a high score on numeric ability
Conceptual definition
Is about saying what we mean
Operationalization
Is about saying how we will measure it
First statistical test of human intelligence
Binet-Simon Test
Standardised conditions definition
Everyone has the same chance of doing well- many modern intelligence tests are of this type.
Correlation between GMA and job performance
- Strong correlation
- Can be used in selection process
- E.g.
– United States (Hunter & Hunter, 1984)
– Europe (Salgado & Anderson, 2002)
– Germany (Hülsheger et al., 2007; Kramer, 2009)
PMA
Primary mental abilities
Thurstone’s PMA idea
- Intelligence – a set of PMAs all rather independent of
one another - Produces intelligence profiles rather than a single IQ
score - Common in intelligence tests used in clinical assessment like Wechsler’s intelligences scales, 1955
Drawback of Thurstone’s
- Resource intensive
Examples of PMAs
Verbal comprehension, Reasoning, Perceptual
speed, Numerical ability, Word fluency, Associative
memory, Spatial visualisation
Criticism of intelligence tests
- Tests a ‘maximum performance paradigm’ i.e. the best you do
under test and time conditions, not how you perform in
everyday life → importance of motivation - GMA and specific abilities predict task performance, but do
they also predict other aspects of performance such as helping
and extra-role behaviours (e.g., OCB) - Tests using specific abilities predict performance better when they are matched to the demands of the job
- Biased towards ethnic minorities
Advantages of intelligence tests
– intelligence tests strongly predict performance within and
across each group
– Possible use of culture free tests (less reliant on language)
– Other factors explain differences: family income, maternal
education, learning materials in home, parenting factors (e.g.
safe physical environment),
System models of intelligence
- Gardner’s (1983) Theory of Multiple Intelligences
- Sternberg’s (1985) Triarchic theory of Intelligence
- Emotional Intelligence
Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences
- Linguistic
- Spatial
- Logical-Mathematical
- Musical
- Bodily Kinaesthetic
- Interpersonal
- Intrapersonal
Idea: All intelligences are independent
Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences Criticism
- MI theory is subjective
- No measure developed by Gardner
- No systematic research by Gardner to test his theory
- Incompatible with well-established concept of ‘g’
- Empirically, several of these intelligences have very high
intercorrelations and are thus not independent - Key mental abilities are not covered by the theory (e.g.
inductive reasoning, memory, ..) - It may be best to conceptualise MI as talents, skills, or
competence in e.g. music, body coordination, etc.
Emotional Intelligence definition
“The ability to monitor one’s own and
other people’s emotions, to discriminate between
different emotions and label them appropriately,
and use emotional information to guide thinking
and behaviour.” (Colman, 2006)
