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General knowledge is information that has been accumulated over time through various media and sources.[1] It excludes specialized learning that can only be obtained with extensive training and information confined to a single medium. General knowledge is an essential component ofcrystallized intelligence. It is strongly associated withgeneral intelligence and withopenness to experience.[2]
Studies have found that people who are highlyknowledgeable in a particulardomain tend to be knowledgeable in many.[3][4] General knowledge is thought to be supported by long-termsemantic memory ability.[5] General knowledge also supportsschemata for textual understanding.[6]
High scorers on tests of general knowledge tend to also score highly on intelligence tests.IQ has been found to robustly predict general knowledge scores even after accounting for differences in age, andfive-factor model personality traits.[7][8][9] However, many general knowledge tests are designed to create a normal distribution of answers, creating abell-shaped curve.[10]
General knowledge is also moderately associated with verbal ability, though only weakly or not at all with numerical and spatial ability.[3] As with crystallized intelligence, general knowledge has been found to increase with age.[11]
General knowledge is stored assemantic memory.[12] Most semantic memory is preserved through old age, though there are deficits in retrieval of certain specific words correlated with aging.[12] In addition,stress or various emotional levels can negatively affect semantic memory retrieval.[12]
People high in general knowledge tend to be highlyopen to new experiences[7][8][9][11] and intypical intellectual engagement.[8][9] The relationship between openness to experience and general knowledge remains robust even when IQ is taken into account.[7][9] People high in openness may be more motivated to engage in intellectual pursuits that increase their knowledge.[9] Relationships between general knowledge and otherfive factor model traits tend to be weak and inconsistent. Though one study found thatextraversion andneuroticism were negativelycorrelated with general knowledge,[8] others found that they were unrelated.[7][11] Inconsistent results have also been found forconscientiousness.[note 1]
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A number of studies have assessed whether performance on a general knowledge test can predict achievement in particular areas, namely in academics,[13] proofreading,[14] and creativity.[15]
General knowledge helps to perform well on government exams[13] The study examined cognitive ability and personality predictors of exam performance and found that general knowledge was positively correlated withGCSE English, mathematics, Grammar, History, Science and overall exam results. General knowledge test scores predicted exam results, even after controlling for IQ, five-factor model personality traits, andlearning styles.
General knowledge has been found to robustly predict proofreading skills in university students.[14] A study found that proofreading had a larger correlation with general knowledge than with general intelligence, verbal reasoning, or openness to experience. In amultiple regression analysis using general knowledge, general intelligence, verbal reasoning, five factor personality traits, and learning styles as predictors, only general knowledge was a significant predictor.
General knowledge has been found to have weak associations with measures of creativity.[15] In a study examining contributions of personality and intelligence to creativity, general knowledge was positively correlated withdivergent thinking tests, but was unrelated to a biographical measure of creative achievement, self-rated creativity, or a composite measure of creativity. The relationship between general knowledge and divergent thinking became non-significant when controlling for fluid intelligence.
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Manygame shows use general knowledge questions for entertainment purposes. Game shows such asWho Wants to Be a Millionaire? andFifteen to One centre their questions on general knowledge, while other shows focus questions more on specific subjects. Some shows ask questions both on specific subjects and on general knowledge, includingEggheads andMastermind. InMastermind, contestants choose their own "specialist subject" before answering general knowledge questions, whereas inEggheads the subjects are chosen at random. The game showJeopardy! tests contestants' knowledge.
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