A Study of Cross-Cultural Factorial Structure of Intelligence

Our knowledge of the factorial structure of intelligence is based almost exclusively on data gathered from English speaking subjects.The degree to which factors found and confirmed in one culture will be found also in markedly different cultures remains unknown.Among the factors that could produce differences in the factorial structure of abilities are the linguistic system (Whorf, 1956) genetics (Vernon, 1951), environmental demands and the mode of life of the subjects.This study is concerned with the structure of Intelligence in an Israeli population.The purpose is to determine the degree to which the primary mental abilities found in American samples will also appear in subjects with a different cultural and linguistic background.