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    gma

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    11 views12 pages

    Gma

    Uploaded by

    catalincristian
    gma

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 12
    rn Se Us ANB OES TTA eS General Mental Ability in the World of Work: Occupational Attainment and Job Performance Frank L. Schmidt University of lowa John Hunter Michigan State University ‘The psychological construct of general mental ability (GMA), intaxiced by C, Spearman (1908) nearly 100 Years ago, has enjoyed resurgence of interest and aemton in recent decades, Thi atc presents ‘he esearch evidence that GMA predicts both oecuptinal lve ataned and perormance within one’s chosen oecipation and does so beter tan any ter ability, tit oy disposition and beter than jo experience. The sizes ofthese rltonsips with GMA ar ls larger than mst fou in psychological research, Evidence is resented that weighted combinations of specific ptitses tailored to individual jobs do aot pee job performance beter than GMA alone, dsconfirming specific apne theory. theory of job performance is deserted that explicate the central role of GMA ia the worl of work ‘These findings support Spearman’s proposition that GMA is of eel importance in bamaa alas During the 1960s when we were graduate students, we fe ‘quently heard predictions from experimental psychologists and ‘experimental socal psychologists that in 20 or so years differential psychology would be a dead field, hecause experimental research would explain all individual differences as effects of past oF present (environmental) treatment conditions, Obsously, this has ‘not happened, In fact, in recent years there has been a strong, resurgence of interest in the psychology of individual differences (Lubinski, 2000), This resurgence embraces general intelligence (general mental ability, GMA), specific aptitudes and abilities, Personality waits, interests, valves, and other tats showing im ‘poreant differences between individuals and groups ‘This resurgence has been particularly strong in connection with GMA, a construct frst postulated and defined nearly 100 years ago bby Spearman (1904). A number of developments and findings have contributed to renewed interest in GMA. The accumulated evi- dence has become very strong that GMA is cortelated witha wide variety of life outcomes, ranging from risky health-related bebav- iors, to criminal offenses, to the ability 00 use a bus or subway system (Gottiedson, 1997; Lubinski & Humphreys, 1997). In ‘eddition, the more highly # given GMA measure loads on the general factor in meaal ability (the g factor), the larger are these correlations The relative standing of individuals on GMA has ber found toe stable over periods of more than 65 years (Deary, ‘Whalley, Lemmon, Crawford, & Starr, 2000). Finding in behavior genetics, including studies of identical twins roared apart and together (e.g. Bouchard, Lykken, MeGue, Segal, & Tellegen, 1990), have shown heyond doubt that GMA has a strong genetic basis (¢., Bouchard, 1998; McGue & Bouchard, 1998). Herits- bility has been shown Co increase with age and to reac ievels of Frank L. Semi, Tippie Collegeof Business, University of flows aha unter, Deparment of Peychology, Michigan State Univesy ‘Comtespondenceconcering ths ale shouldbe adaresed to Frank Schmid pple College of Business, Univesity of lows, lowa City, 1A, 32112, mal rank-sehmide@uiows.eds 6 80 oF higher in elderiy persons, (The square root of 80 is 89, indicating a correlation of nearly 90 between genes and GMA in

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