Dr. O'Connor believes that intelligence comprises hierarchically arranged general and specialized abilities. He administers to a large sample of adults an intelligence test containing verbal, numerical, and spatial subtests. Which pattern of correlation coefficients is most consistent with Dr. O'Connor's view of intelligence?
A) correlations of about .60 between verbal and numerical scores, numerical and spatial scores, and verbal and spatial scores
B) a correlation of .65 between verbal and numerical scores, a correlation of .25 between numerical and spatial scores, and a correlation of .70 between verbal and spatial scores
C) correlations of about .10 between verbal and numerical scores, numerical and spatial scores, and verbal and spatial scores
D) correlations of nearly 1.00 between verbal and numerical scores, numerical and spatial scores, and verbal and spatial scores

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Dr. O'Connor's view that intelligence comprises hierarchically arranged general and specialized abilities suggests that there should be moderate to high correlations between different types of intelligence (verbal, numerical, spatial), as they are all influenced by a general intelligence factor but also retain their specificity. Option A, with correlations of about .60 between all pairs, supports this view by indicating a significant but not perfect relationship, suggesting both a shared general intelligence component and specialized abilities.

Dr O'Connor Believes That Intelligence Comprises Hierarchically Arranged General and Specialized