Personality Correlates of Differential Abilities in a Sample of Lower Than Average Ability

Abstract

Critics of IQ tests often emphasize the importance of non-intellectual components of intelligent behavior. Previous research has identified masculinity-femininity as one factor contributing to the differentiation of people along a dimension of high verbal ability at one end and high mathematical (or other “practical”) ability at the other. However, almost all of this information was derived from the study of groups whose over-all ability was about 1 SD above the population mean. To test the generalizability of these findings the Guilford-Zimmerman personality correlates of differential abilities were investigated in a lower than average ability group. Masculinity was related to the high mathematical-low verbal ability complex for females but not for males. The importance of studying the interaction of sex and type of ability was discussed.