Individual Differences Research

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Individual Differences Research > Volume 10, Issue 4 (2012) > 176-181

An Examination of the Temporal Stability of Self-Assessed Intelligence

Viren Swami

Abstract

This study examined the test-retest reliability of self-assessed intelligence in a community sample of 157 British women and men. Participants provided ratings of self-assessed intelligence along eight domains over a period of six months and one year. Correlation analyses showed that test-retest reliabilities were weak-to-moderate at both six months (r = .10 to .71) and one year (r = .08 to .80). At both testing periods, scores for musical intelligence showed the highest correlations, whereas scores of interpersonal intelligence were not significantly correlated with those obtained during initial testing. Repeated measures analyses of variance showed a slight decline in estimates, although the effect sizes of these differences were small (η_p² = .01 to .08). Overall, the present results suggest caution in using measures of self-assessed intelligence among community samples.