Report of a Study Correlating the Performance of Sonographers with Their Cognitive Abilities

A study was undertaken to determine whether practicing sonographers who are regarded as being effective by their peers, supervising physician, and themselves have special abilities. Eighty-three sonographers and echocardiographers agreed to take the written tests and be evaluated on their performance. The results indicated that sonographers who received the highest ratings also performed well on the tests of general reasoning (General Reasoning) and the ability to pick out an image hidden in other patterns (Flexibility of Closure). The correlations with the other two abilities, which represented visual skills, were weak to nonexistent. Relationships were also seen between Registry status, years of scanning experience, sex, and educational background.