Use of the Shipley Institute of Living Scale and the Raven's Standard Progressive matrices with Unemployed populations

Abstract

A total sample of 366 unemployed people completed general ability assessments. Three hundred and twenty nine completed the Shipley Institute of Living Scale (SILS). A cohort of 231 of this group also completed the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) (10-minute timed administration) on the same occasion; and a second cohort of 95 also completed the SPM (20-minute timed administration) on the same occasion. Normative data are provided for the SILS and the SPM (10- and 20- minute administrations). Relationships between the SILS and SPM are examined. The unemployed sample did not differ from population normative data on Total SILS scores, but scored lower on SILS Vocabulary, and higher on SILS Abstraction scores. The unemployed sample performed poorer on SPM (10-minute administration) than the non-unemployed population normative data. No sex differences were identified. Older unemployed subjects performed better on SILS Vocabulary, but scored more poorly on the SPM.