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The Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation

The WMF Human Cognitive Abilities Project
 
WMF Clinical Database WMF Human Cognitive Abilities Project WMF Research Bulletin Board Doctoral Dissertation Abstract Project

The publication of John B. Carroll’s book entitled Human Cognitive Abilities: A Survey of Factor–Analytic Studies (Carroll, 1993) provided a much-needed systematic organization and integration of more than 50 years of research on the structure of human cognitive abilities. Carroll reported the results of his systematic exploratory factor analysis of over 460 human cognitive ability data sets, many of which were classic data sets reported during the past 50 to 60 years. Through the application of a systematic and uniform methodology, Carroll produced an empirical meta-analysis of the extant human cognitive abilities literature.

The Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation Human Cognitive Abilities Project (HCA) supports a continuing program of research using the original data sets associated with Carroll's work via a series of internal development activities. These activities include: (a) electronic archiving of the correlation matrices and associated publications from Carroll’s collection; (b) the coding of both the Carroll and contemporary data sets as per a set of data set characteristic descriptors; (c) the development of a data set characteristic-based searchable database system for identifying data sets that meet specific search criteria; (d) the development of procedures for electronically archiving contemporary potential data set correlation matrices and associated publications; and (e) the development of mechanisms for electronically storing and disseminating portions of the HCA collection to independent researchers.

The WMF seeks to build upon the past 60+ years of factor analytic research regarding the structure of human cognitive abilities. The primary goals of the HCA project are to:

  • Refine and extend the understanding of the nature of the structure of human cognitive abilities.
  • Electronically archive, document, and make accessible (to students and researchers) the 460 plus data sets used in Carroll's factor analytic review.
  • Extend the factor analytic work organized by Carroll into the future vis-à-vis the supplementing of Carroll's data sets (largely pre-1985) with additional data sets published since the mid-1980's.
  • Facilitate the development and implementation of plans for a retrospective re-analysis of the data sets analyzed by Carroll with contemporary statistical methods e.g., confirmatory factor analysis) and prospective analysis of contemporary post-1985) data sets.

Current Woodcock-Muņoz Foundation Human Cognitive Abilities Archive

Researchers interested in the WMF HCA project should contact Dr. Kevin McGrew, Research Director, at k.mcgrew@woodcock-munoz-foundation.org.

Reference
Carroll, J. B. (1993). Human Cognitive Abilities: A Survey of Factor-Analytic Studies. New York: Cambridge University Press.

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