Jensen's Level I and Level II abilities can be best understood in terms of which of the following?
(a) Difficulty and complexity of tasks
(b) Socioeconomic differences
(c) Racial differences
(d) Geographical differences
Choose the correct option:

Correct option is A

Arthur Jensen's hierarchical model of cognitive abilities distinguishes Level I abilities (associative learning, rote memory, simple recall) from Level II abilities (abstract reasoning, conceptual thinking, problem-solving). These levels are best understood through (a) task complexity—Level I involves simple tasks while Level II involves complex cognitive operations; (b) socioeconomic differences—Jensen observed performance variations across SES groups in Level II tasks; and (c) racial differences—controversially, Jensen's work focused on racial group differences in these abilities, which sparked extensive debate. Geographical differences (d) were not a primary dimension in Jensen's original theoretical framework, making option 2 the most accurate representation of his controversial differential ability theory.

Information Booster:
● Level I abilities: Associative learning, rote memory, trial-and-error learning; less dependent on abstract reasoning; shows minimal group differences
● Level II abilities: Abstract reasoning, conceptual learning, problem-solving, generalization; culturally loaded; shows greater variance across demographic groups
● Jensen's controversial thesis: Proposed genetic explanations for observed racial IQ differences, leading to significant ethical and methodological criticism
● Dimensions of analysis: Jensen examined these abilities across task difficulty (a), socioeconomic status (b), and race (c) but not specifically geography (d)
● Criticism: Accused of cultural bias, ignoring environmental factors, and promoting scientific racism; his work remains highly contested