A major focus of the psychology of instruction is understanding and facilitating the changes in cognition and performance that occur as an individual moves from low to higher competence in a domain of knowledge and skill. A new program of research which examines the initial state of the learner as a component of this transition in competence is…

Discusses the long-term estrangement of psychology and educational testing, a breach that occurred as a result of differences in the goals of experimental psychologists and correlational psychologists who studied the measurement of aptitude and ability. Discusses the development of a new field merging modern knowledge of cognition and learning and…

A commentary is made on each of five symposium papers on the unification of cognitive process theory and differential psychology. Future research directions are reviewed within a new theoretical framework as to the process nature of aptitudes and general intelligence. Future psychometric directions and educational implications are discussed. (RD)