Can Auditory Tasks Measure Speed of

Processing?

Ian T. Zajac1, Nicholas R. Burns1, Ted Nettelbeck1 & Vanessa Danthiir2

1School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, South Australia2CSIRO Human Nutrition

A Neglected Domain

• The Auditory modality is a neglected domain in intelligence models and tests

– 1971 – Lazar Stankov– 1993 – John B. Carroll– 2007 – Kristin Seidel

But, What Do We Know?

• A broad auditory factor (Ga) can be defined by certain auditory tasks

• Ga is relatively independent of other broad factors

• Two persistent factors of Speech abilities and Non-speech abilities

But, What Do We Know?

Sensory Processes

Perceptual Processes

ThinkingProcesses

Analogous to those required by intelligence tests

Speech Factors

Non-Speech Factors

Auditory abilities can be organised into three hierarchically organised layers

Can Auditory Tasks Measure Gs?

Visual Tasks Auditory Tasks

Visual RT Auditory RT

2-choice Visual RT 2-choice Auditory RT

3-choice Visual RT 3-choice Auditory RT

Chasing Digits – Visual Chasing Digits – Auditory

Symbol Digit Audio Code

Finding As Hearing As

Number Comparisons Tone Comparisons

Study 1 N=96 Undergraduates (69 Females; 27 Males). Aged M=20.0 years (SD=4.0 years)

Study 2 N=80 Undergraduates (56 Females; 24 Males). Aged M=20.5 years (SD=4.0 years)

Study 1: Structure of Speed Tasks

Split-half Test-Retest

VRT.90 -

ART.72 -

ART2 .91 .63

ART3 .87 -

CDA .52 .69

SD.84 -

AC.75 .89

HAS .84 .80

TC.79 .76

RT

VRTe1

SARTe2 .56

2ARTe3

3ARTe4

Gs

ACe5

HAse7

TCe8 .55

SDe9

VITe10

-.5 9

CDe11

.53

[χ²(33)=53.13, p=.01, CFI=.93, RMSEA=.08, SRMR=.06]

Study 1: Musical Ability & Speed Tasks

[χ²(61)=94.14, p=.004, CFI=.91, RMSEA=.07, SRMR=.08]

Study 1: Ga & Speed Tasks[χ²(59)=89.20, p=.007, CFI=.92, RMSEA=.07, SRMR=.07]

Study 1: Movement Time & Speed Tasks

[χ²(72)=105.32, p=.006, CFI=.92, RMSEA=.07, SRMR=.08]

Study 1: Conclusions

Auditory tasks showed adequate reliability

Auditory measures defined strong RT and Gs factors which were moderately related

Ga functions and Music Ability do not account for variance in Gs and RT factors

Motor movement can account for variance in Gs and RT, but these factors remain moderately related

Study 2: Structure of Speed Tasks

Gs

CDa

.68 CDv

.72

FAs.65

HAs.27

NC.59

AC

.55

SD

.65

VIT

-.37

RT

TCe

VRT3e

VRT2e

ART3e

ART2e

-.53

.99

.63

.64

.50

e

e

e

e

e

e

e

e

-.60

.35

.35

.35

.63

[χ²(60)=93.44, p=.003; CFI=.92; RMSEA=.08; SRMR=.08]

Study 2: Sensitivity & Speed Tasks

Gs

CDa

.68 CDv

.72

FAs.65

HAs.27

NC.59

AC

.55

SD

.65

VIT

-.37

RT

TCe

VRT3e

VRT2e

ART3e

ART2e-.5

3

.99

.63

.64

.50

e

e

e

e

e

e

e

e

-.60

.35

.35

.35

.63

AS

-.18

.28

[χ²(71)=107.73, p=.003; CFI=.91; RMSEA=.08; SRMR=.08]

-.57

Study 2: Predicting the Criterion

• APM regressed onto:

• Combined GsV and GsVA– GsV entered first [R=.45, R²=.20]

– GsVA entered next [R=.46, R²=.21]

– Change in R² [F(1,77)=.89, p=.35]

R R² f p

Visual RT .13 .02 1.25 .26

Visual/Auditory RT .12 .02 1.25 .26

Visual Gs .45 .20 19.66 <.001

Visual/Auditory Gs .38 .15 13.38 <.001

Study 2: Conclusions

• Despite increasing the number of Visual Gs tests, distinct Gs and RT factors were again present

• Auditory Sensitivity was unrelated to the speed factors

Overall Conclusions

• Auditory tasks which maintain the same cognitive requirements as visual tasks can measures Gs

• Processing involved in these tasks is located at the ‘thinking level’ as the tasks are generally unrelated to modality specific functions

• The measurement of Gs using only visual tasks may not be biased because adding auditory measures does not alter its relationship to the criterion variable

Thanks for listening!