The main controversy as a result of the commercialisation of international education markets is that international students especially those from China are unable to perform as well as UK students in UK universities. So far, research has yet to identify the influence of placements on the academic performance of Chinese students from entry to…

Working memory updating (WMU) has been identified as a cognitive function of prime importance for everyday tasks and has also been found to be a significant predictor of higher mental abilities. Yet, little is known about the constituent processes of WMU. We suggest that operations required in a typical WMU task can be decomposed into 3 major…

Four techniques for assessing differences between least-squares estimators of regression coefficients from group and individual-level data are summarized. The utility and suitability of all four approaches are discussed when (1) data are grouped by a nominal characteristic; (2) there are multiple regressors; or (3) individual-level data cannot be…

Undergraduates (n=99) differing in spatial ability were tested on problems involving the mental rotation of familiar alphanumeric stimuli and unfamiliar stimuli drawn from the Primary Mental Abilities Space Test. Individual differences in spatial ability were associated with speed rather than accuracy of mental rotation processes. Ability…

Recent trends in college admissions are discussed in terms of their influence test validation procedures. In particular, the effects of new college admission practices are considered with respect to the problem of validating placement tests. Traditional test validation techniques are reviewed and compared to the needs specific to placement tests;…

The relationships between a diverse set of individual difference, demographic, and aptitude variables; and a set of student attitudes and behaviors pertinent to experiences in large lecture classes were examined. The sample was 4300 students enrolled in 33 lecture classes at a large university. The relationship between the set of individual…

This article (1) examines the role of idiographic theory in contemporary personality assessment and behavioral prediction methodology, (2) reviews critically empirical studies designed to evaluate the idiographic theory of individual differences in predictability, and (3) presents new data on conclusions that have been advanced toward an…

The following hypothesis is tested and validated: that individual differences in interviewers' tendencies to rate generously or harshly, applicant characteristics, and the dissimilarity between applicant and interviewer characteristics contribute simultaneously to the prediction of interviewers' ratings of medical school applicants. (JMD)