ERIC Number: EJ1292098
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2365-7464
EISSN: N/A
"g" versus "c:" Comparing Individual and Collective Intelligence across Two Meta-Analyses
Rowe, Luke I.; Hattie, John; Hester, Robert
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, v6 Article 26 2021
Collective intelligence (CI) is said to manifest in a group's domain general mental ability. It can be measured across a battery of group IQ tests and statistically reduced to a latent factor called the "c-factor." Advocates have found the c-factor predicts group performance better than individual IQ. We test this claim by meta-analyzing correlations between the c-factor and nine group performance criterion tasks generated by eight independent samples (N = 857 groups). Results indicated a moderate correlation, r, of 0.26 (95% CI 0.10, 0.40). All but four studies comprising five independent samples (N = 366 groups) failed to control for the intelligence of individual members using individual IQ scores or their statistically reduced equivalent (i.e., the g-factor). A meta-analysis of this subset of studies found the average IQ of the groups' members had little to no correlation with group performance (r = 0.06, 95% CI -0.08, 0.20). Around 80% of studies did not have enough statistical power to reliably detect correlations between the primary predictor variables and the criterion tasks. Though some of our findings are consistent with claims that a general factor of group performance may exist and relate positively to group performance, limitations suggest alternative explanations cannot be dismissed. We caution against prematurely embracing notions of the c-factor unless it can be independently and robustly replicated and demonstrated to be incrementally valid beyond the g-factor in group performance contexts.
Descriptors: Intelligence, Intelligence Quotient, Intelligence Differences, Meta Analysis, Group Dynamics, Performance, Intelligence Tests
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/xevkj/