Prediction of retarded adults' work performance through components of general ability

A factor analysis was performed on a set of variables used to predict work performance, or industrial rate, for 127 mentally retarded adults. The results indicated that there is a general ability factor that can be partitioned into three components: cognitive, visual-motor, and work sample/sorting abilities. The latter two components were more closely related to industrial rate than was the former. Variables included subject characteristics, standardized tests, ratings, and work samples. As a group, the work samples were the best predictors of industrial rate; the subject characteristics were the poorest.