The present study tested the dual-component model of working memory capacity (WMC) by examining estimates of primary memory and secondary memory from an immediate free recall task. Participants completed multiple measures of WMC and general intellectual ability as well as multiple trials of an immediate free recall task. It was demonstrated that…

This study examined the second language (L2) development of adult learners of Spanish at three levels of proficiency during and after a semester of instruction. A fundamental goal was to identify cognitive and psychosocial individual differences (IDs) that can explain between-learner variation over time in order to expand our understanding of the…

Latent dimensions underlying individual differences in performance of information-processing tasks and dual task combinations, and the existence of a time-sharing (TS) ability were studied in 81 male college students. Supportive evidence for a general TS ability was not found. An identified TS factor specific to task combinations is discussed.…

A shortened form of the Approaches to Studying Questionnaire (ASQ) was devised to measure individual college student differences in the domains of either meaning orientation or reproducing orientation. It achieves satisfactory levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability (Author/MLW)

Investigates whether all three components of performance visualization (education, guided imagery, and modeling) are necessary to help people enhance speech performance and reduce public speaking apprehension. Finds that the education component appears to be unnecessary. Speculates that cognitive processing differences with regard to language and…

Examined the psychometric properties of an individual difference measure of identification within the mathematics and English domains. Factor analytic results substantiated the presence of English and Mathematics subscales, which yielded scores that were internally consistent and stable over time. Results for samples of 1,143 and 98 college…

Results indicate that pre-flight students and college males of the same age range differ on several aspects of novelty and sensation seeking and that in both samples studied, the variables are relatively independent of measured ability and academic course performance. (Author/DEP)

Because they used an inappropriate statistical procedure, J. H. Kranzler and A. R. Jensen (1991) have not demonstrated that a factor of general intelligence ("g") depends on several independent factors. A factorial reanalysis of their data suggests that speed and efficiency of information processing are important in "g." (SLD)

The hypothetical idea of a perfectly pure psychometric "g" is empirically unattainable. Because the unity of "g" cannot be proved or disproved by factor analysis, the unitary "g" hypothesis represents a parsimonious assumption. J. B. Carroll's (1991) analysis demonstrates the relationship between psychometric and…

The problem of interpreting the dimensionality underlying binary test data is addressed. Medical school students were tested on both achievement and aptitude measures. The person-by-test (aptitude) interaction matrix was factor-analyzed to identify patterns of individual differences. The resultant groups of similar patterns were used as the…

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of part of a comprehensive research project concerning the Finnish matriculation examination. The goal of the project was to explore the matriculation examination as a series of tests indicative of ability differences between individuals, regardless of their causes. The…

Previous factor studies of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) have not analyzed the item data as a function of sex, or reported more than one factor solution. To further study the factor structure of the BDI, items were factor analyzed and multiple solutions were examined for simple structure, parsimony, and psychological meaningfulness. A sample…

Two sources of inconsistency were separated by reanalyzing data from a major study on short-term consistency. Little evidence was found for generalizability or behavioral predictability. Results supported the assumption that measurement error from short-term fluctuations is not due to systematic individual differences in response consistency.…

Studied whether individual differences in print exposure and exposure to other media can account for individual differences in acquired declarative knowledge, controlling for confounds between experience and ability. Results with 268 undergraduates (90 males and 178 females) suggest that exposure is a significant contributor to knowledge…