Category Width and Quantitative Aptitude

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Abstract
In an effort to clarify the reported correlation between breadth of categorization and quantitative aptitude, the Pettigrew category-width task was administered along with three specially-constructed quantitative aptitude tests—one having a multiple-choice format with widely-spaced alternatives, one a multiple-choice format with narrowly-spaced alternatives, and one a free-response format. Preference for broad category widths was only marginally related to the free-response quantitative test but was substantially related to the form with widely-spaced alternatives. The negligible correlation between category-width preferences and the narrowly-spaced quantitative form suggests that the narrow spacing penalizes the broad categorizer by disrupting the “approximation” strategy he may tend to employ on a multiple-choice quantitative test.

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