Standardization of the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery (MAB) in Ghana

Abstract

This study reports an analysts of the performance of 449 non-clinical individuals on the Multidimensiona1 Aptitude Battery (MAB). These were students ranging between the ages of sixteen (16) and thirty-four (34) years drawn from selected secondary and tertiary Institutions in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The purpose of undertaking this work was first to provide Ghanaian norms for the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery (MAB). Further. to Investigate the possible influence of age, and sex on each of the ten subtests of the MAB, the Verbal Scale, the Performance Scale and Full Scale. The results revealed that age and sex had an effect on performance on the MAB. Older subjects obtained significantly higher scores on Vocabulary. Comprehension, Verbal Scale and Full Scale. These are tests which relied more on experience and 8 vast store of knowledge. The findings support Cattel's theory that on tasks requiring fluid intelligence as opposed to crystallized Intelligence, older people are at an advantage. Overall, the females obtained significantly higher scores than males Males performed significantly better than females on the Spatial subtest, supporting previous findings. The observed difference between the performance of the Ghanaian and normative sample on the MAB confirm the fact that cultural issues affect psychological testing to a large extent. The general overall improvement in performance on the modified MAB and the subsequent formulation and generation of Ghanaian norms for the MAB have tremendous implications for clinical psychological practice in Ghana, and also in prediction of performance on the job and also for research in Ghana