The g factor, in vocational psychology dictionary

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Dictionary of Vocational Psychology

The g Factor

When a set of sufficiently diverse tests of mental ability are completed bya group of individuals, and factors underlying these variables are derived from correlation matrices using appropriate procedures (see Jensen, 1998, p. 73), one invariably finds a general factor (the g factor) with which each mental ability test correlates positively. This suggests the existence of an underlying mental ability -- called g -- that tends to correlate positively with any performance on a mental ability test. Although often used as a synonym for intelligence, g is more precise in definition, because the latter term can mean so many things to different people. g is one of the most important variables in vocational psychology, as it correlates positively with so many important vocational "outcomes" such as interests (particularly scientific interests), job choice (both type of occupation and level of complexity or prestige of the occupation), success in job training and job performance, and income. g also correlates with other variables tangentially related to vocational adjustment, such as functional literacy, crime, and delinquency (Jensen, chapter 14).

References

some reading:

The G Factor: The Science of Mental Ability