Human Cognitive Abilities: A Survey of Factor-Analytic Studies

This long awaited work surveys and summarizes the results of more than seventy years of investigation, by factor analysis, of a variety of cognitive abilities, with particular attention to language, thinking, memory, visual and auditory perception, creativity and the production of ideas, and the speed and accuracy of mental processing. The author describes his detailed findings resulting from reanalysis of more than 460 data sets from the factor-analytic literature, followed by a presentation of a hierarchical, three-stratum theory of cognitive ability and its implications for further research. A set of three computer disks (IBM 3-1/2" 1.4 megabytes, ASCII format) containing the numerical data sets and Dr. Carroll\'s statistical results is also available. Representing over 4 megabytes of data or roughly 2000 printed pages the disks are major resources for the interested researcher.

Preface; Part I. Introduction to the Survey: 1. The study of cognitive abilities; 2. Historical foundations of the study of cognitive abilities; 3. Survey and analysis of correlational and factor-analytic research on cognitive abilities: methodology; 4. Survey and analysis of correlational and factor-analytic research on cognitive abilities: overview of outcomes; Part II. The Identification and Description of Cognitive Abilities: 5. Abilities in the Domain of language; 6. Abilities in the Domain of reasoning; 7. Abilities in the Domain of memory and learning; 8. Abilities in the Domain of visual perception; 9. Abilities in the Domain of auditory reception; 10. Abilities in the Domain of idea production; 11. Abilities in the Domain of cognitive speed; 12. Abilities in the Domain of knowledge and achievement; 13. Psychomotor abilities; 14. Miscellaneous domains of ability and personal characteristics; 15. Higher-order factors of cognitive ability; Part III. Issues: 16. A theory of cognitive abilities: the three-stratum theory; 17. Issue about abilities: nature and nurture and others; 18. Implications and recommendations; References and list of datasets; Appendices; Name index; Subject index.

‘John Carroll has done a magnificent hing: He has reviewed and reanalyzed the world’s literature on individual differences in cognitive abilities, collected over most of a century, to reach an integrated picture. No one else could have done it. No one else would have applied so consistent and impartial a system on the literature, an dreached so balanced, complete, and useful a conclusion. It is a monumental contribution, destined to be brought and read in every university the world over that has a psychology or education department, and to be on many an individual scholar’s shelf as well. It defines the taxonomy of cognitive differential psychology for many years to come.’ Richard E. Snow, Stanford University