Abstract

One of the best-established findings in intelligence research is the pattern of positive correlations among various intelligence tests. Although this so-called positive manifold became the conceptual foundation of many theoretical accounts of intelligence, the very nature of it has remained unclear. Only recently, Process Overlap Theory (POT) proposed that the positive manifold originated from overlapping domain-general, executive processes. To test this assumption, the functional relationship between different aspects of executive attention and the positive manifold was investigated by re-analyzing an existing dataset (N = 228). Psychometric reasoning, speed, and memory performance were assessed by a short form of the Berlin Intelligence Structure test. Two aspects of executive attention (sustained and selective attention) and speed of decision making were measured by a continuous performance test, a flanker task, and a Hick task, respectively. Traditional structural equation modeling, representing the positive manifold by a g factor, as well as network analyses, investigating the differential effects of the two aspects of executive attention and speed of decision making on the specific correlations of the positive manifold, suggested that selective attention, sustained attention, and speed of decision making explained the common but not the unique portions of the positive manifold. Thus, we failed to provide evidence for POT’s assumption that the positive manifold is the result of overlapping domain-general processes. This does not mean that domain-general processes other than those investigated here will not be able to show the pattern of results predicted by POT.

Highlights

  • IntroductionOne of the best-established and most replicated findings in psychology is the pattern of positive correlations among various tests of psychometric intelligence, even if these tests measure quite different mental abilities (van der Maas et al 2006)

  • The present study examined the relationship between two different aspects of executive attention, speed of decision making and the positive manifold of correlations between different aspects of psychometric intelligence (BIS-Capacity, Berlin Intelligence Structure (BIS)-Speed, and BIS-Memory)

  • The positive manifold was represented by a g factor to probe whether different aspects of executive attention explain unique or common portions of variance in g

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Summary

Introduction

One of the best-established and most replicated findings in psychology is the pattern of positive correlations among various tests of psychometric intelligence, even if these tests measure quite different mental abilities (van der Maas et al 2006). This so-called positive manifold was first described by Spearman (1904). To account for this phenomenon, he proceeded from the assumption of a single underlying fundamental function, referred to as the g (or general) factor of intelligence or psychometric g.

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