Taxonomy of Psychological Constructs

Mental ability. Many employers are interested in how well a job applicant can perform mental operations. Mental ability can be categorized into general mental ability, applied mental skills, and creativity. General mental ability is related to the overall ability to learn and process information. Measures of general mental ability have found to be related to performance across a range of jobs (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998). Applied mental skills refer to the application of mental ability (e.g., judgment, decision making, problem solving, and planning) to solve organizational issues in real-world contexts. Creativity is defined as flexibility of thought, originality, and the ability to see beyond current structures and operations (Cohen & Swerdlik, 1999).

• • Creativity Job performance (r = .58)

  • Applied mental skills Job performance (r = .28)

  • General mental ability Job performance (r = .24)