NEAR IDENTITY OF COGNITIVE STRUCTURE IN SEX AND ETHNIC-GROUPS

Comparisons of aptitude factor structures were made in large samples o f young Americans who took a multiple aptitude test battery. The facto r model that was used had been statistically confirmed. It included hi erarchical g and five lower-order factors representing Verbal, Math, S patial, Technical Knowledge, and Perpetual Speed. The model showed goo d fit for both the sexes (male and female) and ethnic group (White, Bl ack, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native-American) comparisons. The p roportions of total and common variance accounted for by g and the fiv e lower-order factors were similar for men and women and for all five ethnic groups. Confirmatory factor techniques that imposed statistical constraints tested if the loadings of the tests were the same for bot h sexes and for Whites vs each of the other ethnic groups. Although ma ny of the tests of the differences in the loadings were statistically significant, most differences were small in magnitude (less than 0.05) . The most notable differences occurred for a test of aviation knowled ge. It had a lower loading for men than for women on both hierarchical g and on the lower-order Technical Knowledge factor. It also had a lo wer loading for Whites than for Blacks and Asian-Americans on the lowe r-order Technical Knowledge factor. Correlations between factor loadin gs for the sex groups and for all pairs of ethnic groups were very hig h, approaching r=1.0. Regressions between pairs of groups indicated th at there was no mean difference in loadings between males and females and among the ethnic groups. These findings, along with previous resea rch, present a consistent picture of near identity of structure of int ellect for sex and ethnic groups.