Spectral distribution theory, which can be used to compare microscopic interactions over a broad range of nuclei, is applied in an analysis of two modern effective interactions based on the realistic CD-Bonn potential for 0 Ω no-core shell model calculations in the f p shell, as well as in a comparison of these with the realistic shell-model GXPF1 interaction. In particular, we explore the ability of these interaction to account for the development of isovector pairing correlations and collective rotational motion in the f p shell. Our findings expose the similarities of these two-body interactions, especially as this relates to their pairing and rotational characteristics. Further, the GXPF1 interaction is used to determine the strength parameter of a quadrupole term that can be used to augment an isovector-pairing model interaction with Sp(4) dynamical symmetry, which in turn is shown to yield reasonable agreement with the low-lying energy spectra of 58 Ni and 58 Cu.