A statistical procedure used to identify clusters of related abilities or traits that seem to measure a common underlying factor is called what?

• A. Intelligence
• B. g Factor (General Intelligence)
• C. Fluid Intelligence (Gf)
• D. Factor Analysis

Answer: (D)

This question is about a statistical method that groups related abilities into a smaller set of underlying factors that explain how those abilities covary. Factor analysis does exactly that: it examines the patterns of correlations among many measured abilities and identifies a smaller number of latent factors that account for why some abilities tend to rise or fall together. It helps reveal which abilities share a common underlying construct.

That’s why it’s the best answer. The other terms refer to what is being measured or the construct itself—intelligence in general, the general intelligence factor (g), or a specific type of intelligence like fluid intelligence—rather than a method for uncovering the hidden structure that clusters related abilities.