Auditory intelligence: Theoretical considerations and empirical findings

•Two auditory intelligence content factors, nonverbal and speech, were supported by confirmatory factor analyses.•Auditory nonverbal intelligence was clearly distinct from academic intelligence.•Auditory speech intelligence could be subsumed under a verbal reasoning factor.•Musical training was associated with better performance on the auditory nonverbal tasks but not on the auditory speech tasks.•It is appropriate to extend the Berlin Intelligence Structure model by adding an auditory nonverbal content dimension.

In the last few years, auditory intellectual abilities have received increased attention in different fields of research. However, most intelligence models have yet to include an auditory factor. This paper aimed to replicate the general auditory factor and examined whether and how the hierarchical and faceted Berlin Intelligence Structure model (BIS; Jäger, 1982) should be extended by adding an auditory dimension. Two studies included 126 students (Study 1) and a heterogeneous group of 175 adults (Study 2). Participants took a broad auditory intelligence test and the BIS test and provided a self-report of musical training. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed two separate auditory content factors: nonverbal and speech. Auditory nonverbal ability was clearly distinct from academic intelligence, whereas auditory speech ability could be completely subsumed under verbal reasoning. We suggest that auditory ability – as represented by auditory nonverbal tests – needs to be added to the BIS as an additional content dimension.