General and Specific Cognitive and Psychomotor Abilities in Personnel Selection: The Prediction of Training and Job Performance

Abstract

Use of ability tests in personnel selection is addressed beginning with methodological issues. Studies are reviewed that show that almost all the validity of cognitive tests comes from general cognitive ability, g. Psychomotor ability is reviewed and found to have both higher‐ and lower‐order factors, contrary to long‐held beliefs. It was found that the higher‐order general psychomotor factor was one source of validity of psychomotor tests. Additionally, psychomotor tests were shown to contain measures of g and to increment the validity of g‐based measures very little.