Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test in Three International Samples

An Empirical Test of the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Sternberg, Robert J.
Castejón, J L.
Prieto, M D.
Hautamäki, Jarkko
Grigorenko, Elena L.

¹Yale University, USA
²Alicante University, Spain
³Murcia University, Spain
⁴Faculty of Education, Helsinki University, Finland
⁵Moscow State University, Russia

⁶Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Robert J. Sternberg, Department of Psychology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208205, New Haven, CT, 06520-8205, USA. Fax +1 203 432-8317, E-mail [email protected]

⁷Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Juan L. Castejón Costa, School of Education, University of Alicante Campus de San Vicente, Apartado de Correos 99, E-03080, Alicante, Spain. Fax +34 965 903495, E-mail [email protected].

⁸Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jarkko, Hautamäki, Faculty of Education, Helsinki University, P.O. Box 3200014, Helsinki University, Finland. E-mail [email protected].

⁹Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Elana L., Grigorenko, Department of Psychology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208205, New Haven, CT, 06520-8205, USA, Fax +1 203 432-8317. E-mail [email protected].

European Journal of Psychological Assessment 17(1):p 1-16, 2001.

Summary

In the current study we compare different theoretical models of the underlying structure of the STAT (Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test), Level-H, by using the techniques of confirmatory factor analysis on a combined sample of 3278 school students from the United States, Finland, and Spain. The results of the comparison of a number of models – using the strategy of hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis (HCFA) and comparing nested and alternative models, specified under different assumed theories relative to a unidimensional concept of general intelligence, a traditional factorial concept, and a triarchic model – illustrate that the second-order factor model based on the triarchic theory of intelligence achieves the best (albeit far from perfect) fit to the empirical data.