A Factor-Analytic Study of Evaluative Abilities. I. Hypotheses and Description of Tests.

摘要

In connection with a comprehensive research project on the aptitudes of high-level personnel, this paper reports the hypotheses and tests developed for a study of evaluative abilities by means of factor analysis. The term 'evaluation' is adopted, because most definitions found in the literature for the more common term 'judgment' are too narrow or abstract for the purposes of this investigation. Exceptions to this are the definitions formulated in the Army Air Forces research of World War II. Thirty-six tests have been constructed, adapted, or selected to test the hypotheses. The battery also contains 11 reference tests to define seven factors not in the domain of evaluation. To test hypothesis (5) three pairs of comparable tests, one of which is in multiple-choice, and the other in completion form in each pair, are included in the battery. All tests are described in the report, arranged in the order of the hypotheses. For every test, the nature of the task is explained and for most a sample item is given. In addition, the number of separately timed parts, the number of items per part, and the working time are listed.