Why g matters: The complexity of everyday life
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide evidence that intelligence has pervasive utility in work settings because it is essentially the ability to deal with cognitive complexity, in particular, with complex information processing, and the more complex a work task, the greater the advantages that higher g confers in performing it well.
About: This article is published in Intelligence.The article was published on 1997-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 1300 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Everyday life & Cognitive complexity.
Summary (1 min read)
Jump to: [Why g Matters: The Complexity of Everyday Life] – [WHAT DOES “IMPORTANT” MEAN?] – [INFLUENCE OF INTELLIGENCE ON OVERALL LIFE OUTCOMES] and [THE FUTURE]
Why g Matters: The Complexity of Everyday Life
- This article provides evidence that g has pervasive utility in work settings because it is essentially the ability to deal with cognitive complexity, in particular, with complex information processing.
- Few claims in the social sciences are backed by such massive evidence but remain so hotly contested in public discourse.
- Besides demonstrating that g is important in practical affairs, I seek to demonstrate why intelligence has such surprisingly pervasive importance in the lives of individuals.
- I then use both the employment and literacy data to sketch a portrait of life’s challenges and opportunities at different levels of intelligence.
WHAT DOES “IMPORTANT” MEAN?
- The nature of the job and its context seem to determine whether g has any direct effect on task proficiency, net of job knowlege.
- As is well known in psychometrics (see also Gordon, 1997), the fact that an individual passes or fails any single test item says little about that person’s general intelligence level.
INFLUENCE OF INTELLIGENCE ON OVERALL LIFE OUTCOMES
- The effects of intelligence-like other psychological traits-are probabilistic, not deterministic.
- White adults in this range marry, work, and have children (Hermstein & Murray, 1994), but, as Table 10 shows, they are nonetheless at great risk of living in poverty (30%), bearing children out of wedlock (32%), and becoming chronic welfare dependents (31%).
- At this IQ level, fewer than half the high school graduates and none of the dropouts meet the military’s minimum AFQT enlistment standards.
- Most occupations are within reach cognitively, because these individuals learn complex material fairly easily and independently.
- Such as divorce, illness, and occasional unemployment, they rarely become trapped in poverty or social pathology.
THE FUTURE
- Complexity enriches social and cultural life, but it also risks leaving some individuals behind.
- Society has become more complex-and g loaded-as the authors have entered the information age and postindustrial economy.
- Accordingly, organizations are “flatter” (have fewer hierarchical levels), and increasing numbers of jobs require high-level cognitive and interpersonal skills (Camevale, 1991; Cascio, 1995; Hunt, 1995; Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, 1991).
- There is evidence that increasing proportions of individuals with below-average IQs are having trouble adapting to their increasingly complex modern life (Granat & Granat, 1978) and that social inequality along IQ lines is increasing (Herrnstein & Murray, 1994).
- As the military experience also illustrates, however, what is good pedagogy for the low-aptitude learner may be inappropriate for the high-aptitude person.
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TL;DR: Ian Deary and Robert Sternberg have been writing about intelligence differences since 1982 and 1977, respectively and discussed an idea for their first joint paper, about attempts to find cognitive components of intelligence and the place of theory in intelligence research.
6 citations
Book•
16 Jul 2010TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a synthesis of the existing knowledge about the AFOQT and other selection tests and examine its implications for the future of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test.
Abstract: : The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) is an aptitude measure used to select officers, pilots, and combat system operators. This technical report reviews research that answers many common questions about the AFOQT, including whether the test is fair, whether it is biased against minorities or women, whether it is too expensive, whether it should be replaced, and whether it predicts the performance that is important to the Air Force. In addressing these questions, we do not produce original data analyses. Instead, we present a synthesis of the existing knowledge about the AFOQT and other selection tests and examine its implications for the future of the AFOQT.
6 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2008
6 citations
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: The authors explored the relationship between complex problem solving ability and intelligence by presenting the results of two studies, using over 400 adults, using three computer simulations: Furniture Factory, Tailorshop, and Forestry System.
Abstract: The gap between field research and laboratory research has always been a problem in psychology. With the introduction of computers into the laboratory, computer simulated tasks allowed the observation of complex problem solving performance in the laboratory with a higher degree of ecological validity than ever before. The main aim of this thesis was to explore the relationship between complex problem solving ability and intelligence by presenting the results of two studies, using over 400 adults. Complex problem solving ability was assessed by performance on three computer simulations: Furniture Factory, Tailorshop, and Forestry System. The theory of fluid and crystallised intelligence guided the selection of cognitive abilities tests. Relationships between broad cognitive abilities including Fluid reasoning (Gf), Acculturation knowledge (Gc), Visual processing (Gv), Quantitative knowledge (Gq), and Processing speed (Gs) with computer simulation performance were explored. Previous research exploring the relationship between complex problem solving and intelligence has led to inconsistent and often contradictory findings. Scoring problems in previous research were addressed and for all three computer simulations, relationships between intelligence and complex problem solving were found. Overall, Gf and Gc explained 20% of the variance in complex problem solving. Correlations between intelligence and complex problem solving increased when specific cognitive abilities tests and aggregated computer simulation scores were employed, rather than the employment of general or factor scores of intelligence and final computer simulation scores. A new aggregated scoring technique (goal achievement) that allowed consistent scoring across different computer simulations was developed. The strongest relationship between intelligence and complex problem solving was observed between
6 citations
Cites result from "Why g matters: The complexity of ev..."
...This finding is inconsistent with the suggestion that general intelligence is the most important ability for real world complex problem solving (Gottfredson, 1997)....
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...The zero correlation finding was not consistent with the suggestion that intelligence (assessed by Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices) is the most important ability for real world complex problem solving (Gottfredson, 1997)....
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...(Gottfredson, 1997), and is analogous to an Intelligence Quotient....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored cognitive intelligence, ability emotional intelligence (ability EI), trait emotional intelligence and personality types as predictors of job performance with the view to propose a valid selection model for the Zimbabwean organisational context.
Abstract: Orientation: The process of personnel selection is essential for organisations because it ensures that only those candidates who are likely to contribute to the economic value of an organisation are chosen to fill job vacancies. Research purpose: This research sought to explore cognitive intelligence (CI), ability emotional intelligence (ability EI), trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) and personality types as predictors of job performance with the view to propose a valid selection model for the Zimbabwean organisational context. Motivation for the study: In the personnel selection context, separate studies investigated the single predictive power of the constructs relevant to the study in different settings and studies. The role of personality types in selection is especially under-researched. Research approach, design and method: The study utilised a cross-sectional survey design. The convenience sample constituted ( N = 299) supervisory and professionally qualified, experienced specialists from various organisations in Zimbabwe. The GAMA, AES, WEIS, MBTI, Form M and JPS were administered. Main findings: Structural equation modelling indicated CI as the best predictor of job performance, followed by ability EI and then by personality types. Trait EI could not account for any variance in job performance. Practical implications/managerial implications: Personnel selection models in the Zimbabwean context could consider including the empirically demonstrated variables in selection practices. Contribution/value-add: The research advanced personnel selection theory by empirically and scientifically identifying the core elements of, and proposing a personnel selection model for use by human resources practitioners and organisations in the African context.
6 citations
Cites background from "Why g matters: The complexity of ev..."
...The concept of CI refers to the ability to think rationally and to solve factual, novel and complex problems and is regarded as a major determinant for the survival of species (Gottfredson, 1997; Jensen, 1998; Lam & Kirby, 2002; Rindermann, 2007)....
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...Concerning the predictive power of CI, there is ubiquitous evidence, suggesting that CI predicts job performance across most, if not all, occupations (Cote & Miners, 2006; Gottfredson, 1997; Jensen, 1998; Joseph & Newman, 2010; Lam & Kirby, 2002; O’Boyle et al., 2011; Rindermann, 2007)....
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References
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