Psychological Reports, 1991, 69, 35-38. O Psychological Reports 1991

UNCRITICAL INFERENCE MAKING AND INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING ' GARY E. MILFORD, BARLOW SOPER, AND CHRISTINE WEEKS Louisiana Tech University Summary.-The relationship between uncritical inference making and intelligence has been uncertain. In the present study a group of 30 advanced undergraduate students were administered the Uncritical Inference Test and the Otis-Lennon Test of Mental Ab&cy A significant Pearson correlation of .52 indicates that this measure of intellectual functioning is associated with uncritical inference making. Further research needs to be conducted using standard intelligence measures of specific kinds of intellectual processes.

Korzybski (1933) developed a theory of evaluation that emphasized the priority of factual descriptions over inferences when people make conclusions. Evaluating and thinking about facts and observations should come before making inferences. Making uncritical inferences goes beyond the observable data or factual descriptions, leading to conclusions which may be based upon inferences, not prompted by facts. When people habitually take action guided by uncritical inferences not prompted by facts, then less social-emotional adjustment would be expected. Korzybski (1933) stated that factually based inferences and evaluations promote healthy coping behavior and social-emotional adjustment. His theory focussed on the effects of language use on thought and action. Uncritical inference malung is related to Korzybski's (1933) concept of "intensionality." Intensionally oriented people primarily direct their feelings, thoughts, and actions and by their language habits and words. In contrast, "extensionally" oriented people use sensible experience and factual descriptions to guide their behavior. Kottman (1969) reported significant relationships among five types of intensionality and uncritical inference making. Higher intensionality was associated with more uncritical inference proneness. Tobacyk and Milford (1982) found a significant relationship between endorsement of irrational beliefs and uncritical inference making, the more irrational beliefs endorsed the more uncritical inference making was observed. Also, a significant relationship was obtained between intensionality and endorsement of irrational beliefs (Tobacyk & Milford, 1985); the more irrational beliefs endorsed the greater the intensionality. Weiss (1959) reported a significant association between intensionality and endorsement of untrue beliefs commonly held by people; the greater the intensionahty the

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G . E. MILFORD. ET AL.

more untrue beliefs endorsed. These stuhes show a relationship between uncritical inference making, intensionahty, and endorsement of irrational beliefs. Uncritical inference making, i n t e n ~ i o n a l i t ~and , endorsement of irrational beliefs may reflect behaviors associated with lower intellectual efficiency or functioning. Haney (195311954) did not find a significant relationship between uncritical inference making and a test of verbal intelligence with a sample of college students. However, Vellanti (1962) did indicate a significant relationship between intelligence and intensionality, using the CaLfornia Mental Maturity Scale with high school students. Weiss (1961) did not obtain a significant correlation between intelligence and intensionality using scores of college students from the Henmon-Nelson Test of Mental Maturity. Different intellectual assessments have been used with different populations to study the associations among intellectual functioning and measures of uncritical inference making and intensionality. The expected relationship between high intensionaLty and lower intellectual functioning has not yielded consistent results. The expected relationship between uncritical inference making and lower intellectual functioning was supported by Haney's results; however, Haney (195311954) did not use a measure of intellectual a b h t y with standardization and development comparable to those of ~ intellectual functioning. instruments used in the studies of i n t e n ~ i o n a l i tand Also, since studies have shown a consistent relationship between intension&ty and uncritical inference making, with intensionality inconsistently related to intellectual functioning assessed with different instruments, the use of a standard intellectual assessment appears particularly warranted in predicting intellectual functioning from uncritical inference making. I t was hypothesized that a significant relationship would be obtained between uncritical inference making and intellectual functioning assessed on the OtisLennon Mental Ability Test (Otis & Lennon, 1967).

Participants and Procedure Thirty advanced students enrolled in an undergraduate adolescent psychology class were administered the Uncritical Inference Test (Haney, 19531 1954) and the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test (Otis & Lennon, 1967). Responses were voluntary and anonymous. The participants were 14 men and 16 women, whose mean age was 21.7 years and standard deviation 2.9 yr.

instruments Uncritical inference was assessed on Haney's (195311954) unpublished instrument. H e supplied psychometric data which support this use. Also, Haney's instrument is widely applied, so the present use permits comparability of results with much of the previous research.

UNCRITICAL INFERENCE AND INTELLIGENCE

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Intellectual functioning was assessed with the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test (Otis & Lennon, 1967) which is a standardized group-administered measure of intellectual ability. Form J, the advanced level, is appropriate for college students. Validity and reliability are adequate for the instrument.

RESULTSAND DISCUSSION Means and standard deviations for the full sample were 50.5 and 8.8, respectively, for uncritical inference making and 109.1 and 13.9 for OtisLennon IQs. When the sexes were separated, two t tests indicated no significant differences between their mean scores on uncritical inference (t = -.04, p = .69) or intelligence (t = 0.25, p = ,801, so the two samples were combined for analysis. As hypothesized, the correlation between uncritical inference and intellectual functioning was significant; the Pearson correlation coefficient was .52 (z = 2.85, p < .01). of .27 indicates over a fourth of the measured variance is common for the two variables. Higher scores on the Uncritical Inference Test, indicating less uncritical inference making, were significantly associated with higher scores on the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test, indicating higher intellectual functioning. These findings support the implication that Haney's (195311954) intellectual assessment instrument may not have been appropriate for predicting uncritical inference making. Using Haney's (195311954) results, a relationship between uncritical inference making and intehgence would not be expected. Current results indicate that uncritical inference making and intellectual functioning are related. Consequently, available research suggests an inconsistent relationship between uncritical inference making, intensionality, and lower intellectual functioning. Further research may establish whether different intellectual processes are related to uncritical inference making and intensionality. REFERENCES

HANEY, W. (1954) Measurement of the ability to discriminate between inferential and descriptive statements. (Doctoral dissertation, Northwestern University, 1953) Dissertation Abstrach International, 14, 405-406. KORZYBSKI, A. (1933) Science and sanily. Lancaster, PA: Lancaster Press. K O ~ M A E. N ,J. (1969) Intension and uncritical inference behavior. Etc., a Review of General Semantics, 24, 53-55. O n s , A. S., & LENNON, R. T. (1967) Otis-Lennon Mental A b i l i ~Test-Form J Advanced Leuel. New York: Harcourt, Brace, & World. TOBACYK, J., & MKFORD,G. (1982) Criterion validity for Ellis' irrational beliefs: dogmatism and uncritical inferences. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, 605-607. TOBACYK, J., & MILFORD, G. (1985) Intensionality and irrational beliefs. Psychological Reports, 56, 236-238. VELLAN~, J. T. (1962) The relation of intelligence and sex to the use of the "Is of Identityu for high school students. Science Edzrcation, 46, 71-82. WEISS,T. M. (1959) Identification and false to fact notions. Science Edzrcalion, 43, 185-187.

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WEISS, T. M. (1961) Additional experimental evidence to support Korzybskian principles. Science Education, 45, 114-118.

Accepted July 8, 1991.

Uncritical inference making and intellectual functioning.

The relationship between uncritical inference making and intelligence has been uncertain. In the present study a group of 30 advanced undergraduate st...
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