Vernon and Humphreys have advocated the use of the hierarchical model as a means of conceptualizing the organization of human abilities and of thinking about tests. In this study, Thurstone's primary mental abilities (1938/1968) involving some 57 tests were factor analyzed to produce a comprehensive hierarchical model. Thurstone's study of primary mental abilities was designed for the measurement of individual differences and the development (or the use) of tests. Applying the hierarchical model, a test constructor might be able to select, according to his needs for measurement, factors or constructs at any level in the hierarchy.
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