Wonderlic Research Articles

A meta-analysis of the relationship between Wonderlic test scores and school success

This meta-analysis examined the validity of an alternative to traditional assessments called the Wonderlic which is a brief measure of general mental ability. Our results showed significant, positive correlations between Wonderlic scores and academic performance in general ( r̅ = .26), between Wonderlic scores and undergraduate GPA in particular ( r̅ = .27, ρ ¯ = .33), and between Wonderlic scores and retention ( r̅ =.09, ρ ¯ = .12). We also identified several significant moderators of the relationship between Wonderlic scores and relevant outcomes (e.g., test publisher reported coefficients were larger than those reported by other sources). Subgroup differences in test scores were in the same range as other post-secondary admissions assessments (e.g., ACT and SAT scores). Overall, the Wonderlic has similar levels of subgroup differences and is less strongly related to GPA than traditional assessments but still retains useful levels of predictiveness and is a shorter, less expensive assessment that requires less preparation than the ACT or SAT.

Lower cognitive reappraisal capacity is related to impairments in attachment and personality structure in poly-drug use: an fMRI study

Insecure attachment, impaired personality structure and impaired emotion regulation figure prominently in substance use disorders. While negative emotions can trigger drug-use and relapse, cognitive reappraisal may reduce emotional strain by promoting changes in perspective. In the present study, we explored behavioral and neural correlates of cognitive reappraisal in poly-drug use disorder by testing individuals’ capability to generate cognitive reappraisals for aversive events (Reappraisal Inventiveness Test). 18 inpatients with poly-drug use disorder and 16 controls completed the Adult Attachment Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, and the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structure Questionnaire, as well as two versions of the Reappraisal Inventiveness Test (during fMRI and outside the lab). Compared to controls, polydrug inpatients reported impaired personality structure, attachment and emotion regulation abilities. In the Reappraisal Inventiveness Test, poly-drug inpatients were less flexible and fluent in generating reappraisals for anger-eliciting situations. Corresponding to previous brain imaging evidence, cognitive reappraisal efforts of both groups were reflected in activation of left frontal regions, particularly left superior and middle frontal gyri and left supplemental motor areas. However, no group differences in neural activation patterns emerged. This suggests that despite cognitive reappraisal impairments on a behavioral level, neural reflections of these deficits in poly-drug use disorder might be more complex.

Brain Structure Alterations in Poly-Drug Use: Reduced Cortical Thickness and White Matter Impairments in Regions Associated With Affective, Cognitive, and Motor Functions.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are defined by obsessive and uncontrolled consumption, which is related to neurobiological changes. Based on previous work, this study investigated potential alterations in brain structure in poly-drug use disordered (PUD) patients in comparison to controls from the normal population. This study involved a sample of 153 right-handed men aged between 18 and 41 years, comprising a clinical group of 78 PUD and a group of 75 healthy controls. Group differences in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM), as well as cortical thickness (CT), were investigated by means of diffusion tensor imaging using automated fiber quantification (AFQ) and voxel-based morphometry. We observed significant WM impairments in PUD, especially in the bilateral corticospinal tracts and the inferior longitudinal fasciculi. Furthermore, we found reduced CT in the PUD group especially in the left insular and left lateral orbitofrontal cortex. There were no group differences in GM. In addition, PUD exhibited a higher amount of psychiatric symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory) and impairments in cognitive functions (Wonderlic Personnel Test). In line with previous research, this study revealed substantial impairments in brain structure in the PUD group in areas linked with affective, cognitive, and motor functions. We therefore hypothesize a neurologically informed treatment approach for SUD. Future studies should consequently explore a potential positive neuroplasticity in relation to a better therapeutic outcome.

Naturally Occurring Selection: Using Applicant Pool Data to Estimate Job Relevant Range Restriction

Due to factors that include self-selection and recruitment, job applicant pools can be more homogeneous than the general working population. Using GMA data based on the Wonderlic Personnel Test, we...

READINESS TO SELF-EDUCATION IN THE STRUCTURE OF STUDENTS’ PERSONALITY

The article analyses students’ readiness for self-education.  A person’s readiness for self-education is understood as a stable psychological formation that integrates personal qualities, abilities, motivation, knowledge, skills, necessary for corresponding activities, manifests itself as a willingness to self-education and ensures its effectiveness (resulting in a qualitatively new personal state: new knowledge, skills, new personal qualities, new views and beliefs). The indicators of readiness for self-education are: understanding of the social and personal significance of self-education, a positive assessment of own need for self-education, a stable cognitive interest in a certain field of knowledge and systematic pursuits for its satisfaction, the ability to independently set self-educational goals and seek ways to resolve them, manifestation of initiatives in searching for the necessary information, working out and using it in the mastering of the relevant skills and abilities and their application, volitional efforts in the process of self-education (searching for opportunities to eliminate obstacles or find other ways to achieve the goal), a positive emotional background during self-education, emotional exaltation as a result of new knowledge, skills, meanings, etc. in the process of self-education. On the basis of the theoretical analysis of scientific sources, the personal psychological characteristics that can support development of a person’s readiness for self-education are distinguished: internal motivation for studying, motives of studying at university, the need of knowledge, understanding of education, knowledge and development as important values, general mental abilities, development of organizational abilities, reflection and meaningfulness of life. The empirical study on development of these psychological characteristics and readiness for self-education was implemented with the sample consisting on university students. In order to study the students’ readiness of for self-education, the author’s technique "Experimental Situation" was used. To study the students’ learning motivation, we used: the method diagnosing the internal learning motivation proposed by T. D. Dubovitska, the method determining the learning motives (in the modification of  A. A. Rean, V. A. Yakunin), the technique "SAMOAL", Rokeach Value Survey. To diagnose the general mental abilities, Wonderlic Personnel Test (adapted by V.N.Buzin) was used. To study organizational skills, we used the scale of communicative and organizational skills. Reflection was studied with the help of the questionnaire on reflexivity of A. V. Karpov and the Test of Meaningful Life Orientation of D. A. Leontiev. Half of the respondents showed high indicators of readiness for self-education; the majority of the rest showed average results, and the small part of the respondent showed low results. The most popular motives of students’ training at university are: “to become a highly qualified specialist”, “to acquire profound and solid knowledge”, “to be successful in future professional work”. At the same time, with the increase in the level of readiness for self-education, the motive “to get intellectual pleasure” gains popularity. The existence of a weak statistically significant correlation between the respondents’ readiness to self-education and the internal motivation of the study and the very weak, but statistically significant ones with the need of cognition, attitude to cognition as a value, organizational skills, reflection and meaningfulness of life are substantiated. These correlations are regarded as an indicator of the relative independence of readiness for self-education from other (motivational, intellectual, reflexive) psychological personal characteristics. The respondents were grouped depending on bond strength between development of their psychological characteristics and readiness for self-education; and the types of students’ readiness to self-education are determined on this basis: thought-organized, supported by internal learning motivation; oriented to life-long values; intellectual (combined with higher than that for other types readiness for self-education); and reflexive. Taking these types into account at development of a system of measures to optimize the students’ readiness for self-education is a prospect of research in this direction. &nbsp

Study of validity, reliability in accordance with Turkey conditions in ego functions assessment scale.

The aim of the study is to conduct a reliability and validity study of the Ego Function Assessment (EFA) scale. The study was conducted with a total of 426 participants, which included 213 patients with schizophrenia and a control group of 213 normal individuals. The Individual Information Form, EFA Scale, Wonderlic Personnel Test, Adjective Check List, and Symptom Check List were used for data collection. All the statistical procedures performed in the validity and reliability stages of the study show that the scale is a valid, reliable measurement tool for the Turkish culture. In psychiatric nursing, the use of the EFA scale can be recommended for planning individual patient care, which involves the assessment of a patient's functional adjustment on the basis of their own ego profile.

Job Performance Quality of Thermal Power Plants Operational Employees with Various Levels of Professionalism

Introduction. This paper examines professionally important qualities of thermal power plants operational employees with various levels of professionalism when solving professional tasks in standard and emergency situations.
 Methods. The sample size was 134 operational employees, 123 of whom were men and 11 – women; the mean age was 37 years. The level of professionalism was determined by expert assessments of their professional knowledge, skills, abilities, and problem-solving performance – qualities that the authors deemed to be important for ensuring high work performance. The study used: (a) the Prognoz technique for examination of neuro-mental stability; (b) the questionnaire for measuring the Level of Subjective Control (LSC) by Golynkina, Bazhin, and Etkind; (c) the test questionnaire for Studying Volitional Self-Regulation by Eidman and Zver'kov; (d) the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT) in Buzin’s modification; (e) the Spielberg–Hanin test; and (f) and the Kirton Adaptation-Innovation Inventory (KAI). Statistical data analyses included the t-test for independent samples, the Kruskal-Wallis H test, analysis of contingency tables, and factor analysis.
 Results and Discussion. The results of expert assessment enabled authors to distinguish among three groups of specialists with different levels of professionalism; these were ‘pre-professionals’, ‘professionals’, and ‘super-professionals’. Super-professionals demonstrate high effectiveness, high level of professional knowledge, abilities, and skills, good and satisfactory levels of neuro-mental stability, increased indices of responsibility in various activities, volitional self-regulation, persistence, intellectual capacities, innovative cognitive style, and low level of personal and situational anxiety. Factor analysis revealed subsystems of professionally important qualities in the three groups. Responsibility, volitional qualities, and cognitive styles undergo qualitative changes in the process of the professionalism development. At a high level of professionalism, the qualities of responsibility, volitional qualities, and innovative cognitive style provide operational employees with professional and personal reliability and help them cope with anxiety in stressful situations.

Performance while distracted: The effect of cognitive styles and working memory

Distractions are more prevalent than in the past. Several off-task factors and activities (e.g., e-mails, social media) can distract from important tasks, resulting in losses to productivity. It is therefore important to understand factors, such as individual differences, associated to distraction-related performance decrements. In this study, we examine the effects of cognitive styles (i.e., creating and planning) and working memory on task accuracy, in a distracting context. Undergraduate students participated in a lab study where they completed a Microsoft Excel task under conditions of distraction, the cognitive styles indicator (CoSI), the operation span (O-Span) task, and the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT-R). Controlling for general mental ability (GMA), we found a direct effect of creating on task accuracy. However, we observed no significant moderating effects of working memory on the effects of creating and planning on task accuracy. Our results highlight the value of further research on cognitive styles, within the context of distracting work.

Theory of Mind and General Intelligence in Dictator and Ultimatum Games

Decreasing social sensitivity (i.e., the ability of a person to perceive, understand, and respect the feelings and viewpoints of others), has been shown to facilitate selfish behavior. This is not only true for exogenous changes in social sensitivity, but also for social sensitivity influenced by someone’s social cognition. In this analysis, we examined one measure of social cognition, namely a person’s Theory of Mind (ToM), to examine differences in decision-making in standard non-strategic and strategic environments (dictator and ultimatum games). We found that participants with higher ToM gave a greater share in the non-strategic environment. In the ultimatum game, however, ToM showed no correlation with the offers of the ultimators. Instead, we found that general intelligence scores—measured by the Wonderlic test—shared a negative, albeit weak, correlation with the amount offered in the ultimatum game. Thus, we find that lower social cognition is an important explanatory variable for selfish behavior in a non-strategic environment, while general intelligence shares some correlation in a strategic environment. Similar to the change in social sensitivity created by a specific game design, social sensitivity influenced by individual personality traits can influence behavior in non-strategic environments.

Evidence on the importance of cognitive ability tests for NFL quarterbacks: what are the relationships among Wonderlic scores, draft positions and NFL performance outcomes?

ABSTRACTEmploying data on National Football League (NFL) quarterbacks drafted between 2002 and 2012, the authors consider whether factors correlated with a quarterback being more productive in the NFL are the same factors that correlate with an improved draft position. In particular, the authors consider the relevance of scores on the Wonderlic test. Contrary to all prior literature on the subject, the authors find that performance on the Wonderlic test is positively correlated with NFL performance. However, the authors find no clear evidence that Wonderlic scores are correlated with draft position. Beyond this primary finding, the authors reveal many other interesting results that should help researchers better understand a quarterback’s progression from college to the NFL.

Can super smart leaders suffer from too much of a good thing? The curvilinear effect of intelligence on perceived leadership behavior.

Although researchers predominately test for linear relationships between variables, at times there may be theoretical and even empirical reasons for expecting nonlinear functions. We examined if the relation between intelligence (IQ) and perceived leadership might be more accurately described by a curvilinear single-peaked function. Following Simonton's (1985) theory, we tested a specific model, indicating that the optimal IQ for perceived leadership will appear at about 1.2 standard deviations above the mean IQ of the group membership. The sample consisted of midlevel leaders from multinational private-sector companies. We used the leaders' scores on the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT)-a measure of IQ-to predict how they would be perceived on prototypically effective leadership (i.e., transformational and instrumental leadership). Accounting for the effects of leader personality, gender, age, as well as company, country, and time fixed effects, analyses indicated that perceptions of leadership followed a curvilinear inverted-U function of intelligence. The peak of this function was at an IQ score of about 120, which did not depart significantly from the value predicted by the theory. As the first direct empirical test of a precise curvilinear model of the intelligence-leadership relation, the results have important implications for future research on how leaders are perceived in the workplace. (PsycINFO Database Record

Wonderlic, working memory capacity, and fluid intelligence

Despite the widespread popularity of the Wonderlic Personnel Test, evidence of its validity as a measure of intelligence and personnel selection is limited. The present study sought to better understand the Wonderlic by investigating its relationship to multiple measures of working memory capacity and fluid intelligence. Our results show that Wonderlic has no direct relationship to fluid intelligence once its commonality to working memory capacity is accounted for. Further, we found that the Wonderlic was a significant predictor of working memory capacity for subjects with low fluid intelligence, but failed to discriminate as well among subjects with high fluid intelligence. These results suggest that the predictive power of the Wonderlic could depend on the characteristics of the sample it is administered to, whereas the relationship between fluid intelligence and working memory capacity is robust and invariant to the cognitive capabilities of the sample.

Gender, ‘g’, and fixed versus growth intelligence mindsets as predictors of self-estimated Domain Masculine Intelligence (DMIQ)

Over 120 participants completed three timed intelligence tests, a self-estimated Domain Masculine (DMIQ) Intelligence scale, and a mindset “beliefs about intelligence” measure (Dweck, 2012) to examine correlates of the Hubris-Humility Effect (HHE) which shows males believe they are more intelligent than females. As predicted males gave higher DMIQ estimates than females. Males also scored higher than females on two of the three intelligence tests. Mindset beliefs (entity vs incremental theories) were not significantly related to gender or DMIQ scores. DMIQ estimates were only weakly related to two of the three intelligence tests. Gender and general intelligence test scores (Wonderlic Personnel Test, Inc., 1992) were the best predictors of DMIQ. Limitations are discussed.

Comparison of Three ADHD Screening Instruments in College Students of Varying Cognitive Ability

Objective: To assess three of the better known screeners for Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and review the relationship between ADHD and cognitive ability. Method: The three ADHD screeners were administered to 111 college students enrolled in a college Introductory Psychology class, on whom ACT scores and total course performance were also available. As a measure of cognitive ability, the Wonderlic Personnel Test (Wonderlic, Inc., 2000) was also administered. Furthermore, self-report data were available from participants who had been diagnosed with ADHD. The three screeners were the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) (Kessler et al., 2005), the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale—Self-Report: Long Version (CAARS) (Conners, Erhardt, & Sparrow, 1999), and the Brown ADD Scales (Brown, 1996). Results: The results are discussed in terms of the scales’ reliability, as well as their relationship to academic aptitude, class performance, and their ability to identify self-reported ADHD diagnoses. Conclusion: All three screeners exhibited acceptable reliability levels. Criterion validity was demonstrated by the relationship between the CAARS’s inattention subscale and self-reported cases of ADHD. Criterion validity was also seen in the relationship found between the CAARS’s hyperactivity/restlessness subscale and the total course performance even after controlling for cognitive ability. Contrary to past research cognitive ability exhibited a weak but significant relationship with a few screeners and screener subscales.

The Relationship of Reliability and Validity of Personality Tests to Frame-of-Reference Instructions and Within-Person Inconsistency

The efficacy of both frame-of-reference (FOR) instructions and a measure of within-person inconsistency in predicting grade point average was investigated. The IPIP Big Five personality questionnaire was given to 329 students with generic instructions and ‘at school’ FOR instructions. The Wonderlic Personnel Test was also administered. A measure of within-person inconsistency was created based on the standard deviations of responses to items within the same Big Five dimension. The validity of conscientiousness was greater when FOR instructions were given. The measure of within-person inconsistency provided incremental validity over that of conscientiousness and cognitive ability. Additionally, within-person inconsistency moderated the relationship between conscientiousness and performance for the participants without the FOR instructions. Practical implications are discussed.

Telephone-Administered Intelligence Testing for Research in Work and Organizational Psychology

In a 2 × 2 experimental study, we used the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT) to assess the quality of intelligence testing by telephone with a sample of 210 individuals active in the world of work and compared it both inter- and intraindividually with intelligence testing by face-to-face test administration. The population median (rxx = .88) of the reliability of ordinary face-to-face-based Wonderlic test-retest reliabilities fit the present data. The pattern of relationships between the WPT and tests of verbal and emotional intelligence was equal in both modalities. The WPT showed high convergence with verbal intelligence and was orthogonal to emotional intelligence. In both experimental groups, WPT scores were positively related to the level of formal education and occupational attainment. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed. We conclude that, given cooperative testtakers, intelligence testing by telephone is a promising alternative to traditional forms of intelligence testing in work and organizational psychological research.

Sex, IQ, and Emotional Intelligence

150 young bankers estimated their IQ (Academic/Cognitive Intelligence) and EQ (Emotional Intelligence) before taking an IQ test. Pearson correlations were r = .40 and .41 between IQ test (Wonderlic Personnel Test) scores (M = 32.8) and IQ estimates (M = 27.9) and EQ estimates, respectively. Women's mean self-estimated IQ was significantly lower than men's.

Typical intellectual engagement, Big Five personality traits, approaches to learning and cognitive ability predictors of academic performance

Both ability (measured by power tests) and non-ability (measured by preference tests) individual difference measures predict academic school outcomes. These include fluid as well as crystalized intelligence, personality traits, and learning styles. This paper examines the incremental validity of five psychometric tests and the sex and age of pupils to predict their General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSE) test results. The aim was to determine how much variance ability and non-ability tests can account for in predicting specific GCSE exam scores. The sample comprised 212 British schoolchildren. Of these, 123 were females. Their mean age was 15.8 years (SD 0.98 years). Pupils completed three self-report tests: the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) which measures the 'Big Five' personality traits, (Costa & McCrae, 1992); the Typical Intellectual Engagement Scale (Goff & Ackerman, 1992) and a measure of learning style, the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ; Biggs, 1987). They also completed two ability tests: the Wonderlic Personnel Test (Wonderlic, 1992) a short measure of general intelligence and the General Knowledge Test (Irving, Cammock, & Lynn, 2001) a measure of crystallized intelligence. Six months later they took their (10th grade) GCSE exams comprising four 'core' compulsory exams as well as a number of specific elective subjects. Correlational analysis suggested that intelligence was the best predictors of school results. Preference test measures accounted for relatively little variance. Regressions indicated that over 50% of the variance in school exams for English (Literature and Language) and Maths and Science combined could be accounted for by these individual difference factors. Data from less than an hour's worth of testing pupils could predict school exam results 6 months later. These tests could, therefore, be used to reliably inform important decisions about how pupils are taught.

SEX, IQ, AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE1

150 young bankers estimated their IQ (Academic/Cognitive Intelligence) and EQ (Emotional Intelligence) before taking an IQ test. Pearson correlations were r = .40 and .41 between IQ test (Wonderlic Personnel Test) scores (M = 32.8) and IQ estimates (M = 27.9) and EQ estimates, respectively. Women's mean self-estimated IQ was significantly lower than men's.

Protestant ethic endorsement, personality, and general intelligence

To learn if Protestant ethic endorsement predicted intelligence controlling for the big five personality factors, 364 college students from England and the United States completed a 65-item multifaceted work ethic endorsement measure, the 50-item Wonderlic Personnel Test, and a 60-item measure of the big five personality factors. A hierarchical multiple regression revealed that, after controlling for respondent's sex and the big five, work ethic facets accounted for 5.6% of the variability in Wonderlic scores. However, the direction of the relationship between PWE facets and Wonderlic scores depended on the PWE facet in question. Furthermore, the facets accounted for more variability than did a composite work ethic score. The discussion focuses on the multidimensional nature of PWE endorsement and future research with this construct.