In Spearman's theory, what are 'special abilities' (the 's' factor)?

• A. Specific abilities that influence performance in particular tasks.
• B. Overall IQ score.
• C. Social and emotional skills.
• D. Creativity and insight.

Answer: (A)

Special abilities are the specific talents that influence performance on particular tasks. In Spearman’s two-factor theory, how well someone does on a cognitive task depends on general intelligence (g) plus one or more task-specific abilities (s). The g factor captures overall cognitive efficiency across tasks, while the s factor explains why a person might excel in one domain (like numerical reasoning) but not in another (like verbal skills). So the s factor isn’t a single overall score or a measure of social-emotional skills or creativity; it’s the unique, task-related abilities that affect performance on specific tasks.