Construct validity of the Swedish Enlistment Battery

Abstract

The construct validity of the Swedish Enlistment Battery (SEB) used for classification of conscripts according to intellectual capacity was examined. The covariance matrices of three samples of conscripts ( N = 501, 1058 and 1057) were analysed in Study 1, testing the hypothesis of one general factor influencing all the four subtests and one residual factor General visualization ( Gv ′) influencing two of the subsets. The fit of such a model was good. In Study 2 seven reference tests were added to accomplish better definitions of the factors and also to be able to identify a crystallized intelligence ( Gc ′) factor. Subjects were 113 national servicemen. A general factor was identified, accounting for the dominating part of the total variance. Two factors orthogonal to the general factor were identified; one crystallized‐verbal ( Gc ′) and one general visualization ( Gv ′) factor, both accounting for a significant but low part of the total variance. More tests must be developed and brought into use in the Enlistment Battery in order to add to the variances in the Gv ′ and Gc ′ factors. This is a prerequisite for high determinacy and high differential predictive validities of the factors.