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 of crystallized intelligence. It is
strongly associated with general intelligence and with openness to experience.[2]

Studies have found that people who are highly knowledgeable in a particular domain
tend to be knowledgeable in many.[3][4] General knowledge is thought to be
supported by long-term semantic memory ability.[5] General knowledge also supports
schemata for textual understanding.[6]

Individual differences
Intelligence
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, and five-factor model personality
traits.[7][8][9] However, many general knowledge tests are designed to create a
normal distribution of answers, creating a bell-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]

Long-term semantic memory

Personality
People high in general knowledge tend to be highly open to new experiences[7][8][9]
[11] and in typical 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 other five factor model traits tend to be weak and
inconsistent. Though one study found that extraversion and neuroticism were
negatively correlated with general knowledge,[8] others found that they were
unrelated.[7][11] Inconsistent results have also been found for conscientiousness.
[note 1]

Predictor of achievement

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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]

Academic achievement
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 with GCSE 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, and learning styles.
Proofreading
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 a multiple 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.

Creativity
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 with divergent 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.

[1][16]

Game shows and quizzes

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Many game shows use general knowledge questions for entertainment purposes. Game
shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Fifteen 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, including Eggheads and Mastermind. In Mastermind, contestants choose
their own "specialist subject" before answering general knowledge questions,
whereas in Eggheads the subjects are chosen at random. The game show Jeopardy!
tests contestants' knowledge.

Questions drawn from the game Trivial Pursuit have been used in a number of
psychological experiments concerning general knowledge.[17][18]
See also
IQ
Intelligence
High culture
Cattell–Horn–Carroll theory
Cultural literacy
Core Knowledge Foundation
Upper ontology – Ontology applicable across domains of knowledge
Notes
Furnham et al.[7] found positive correlations with general knowledge in his first
and third studies, but no significant relationship in his second. Studies by others
have found no significant relationship.[8][11]
References
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