When people choose a particular occupation, they presumably make an implicit judgment that they will perform well on a job at some point in the future, typically after extensive education and/or on-the-job experience. Research on learning and skill acquisition has pointed to a power law of practice, where large gains in performance come early in…

Several investigators have claimed over the past decade that working memory (WM) and general intelligence (g) are identical, or nearly identical, constructs, from an individual-differences perspective. Although memory measures are commonly included in intelligence tests, and memory abilities are included in theories of intelligence, the identity…

With few exceptions, the development of adult intelligence assessment instruments has proceeded along the lines of the Binet-Simon tests for children, stressing psychological assessment over the evaluation of what an individual knows. These tests, developed over 90 years ago, were quite effective in predicting school success, but were much less…

This paper examines the relationship between span memory [e.g., immediate memory, short-term memory (STM), simple span] and general ability ("g") though a reanalysis of two data sets [Christal, R. E. (1959). "Factor analytic study of visual memory." "Psychological Monographs: General and Applied," 72 (13, Whole No. 466); Kelley, H.P. (1964).…

The association of typical intellectual engagement with various abilities, and the association of such engagements with broader personality domain and available performance measures were studied with 138 undergraduate students (61 males and 77 females). Results demonstrate that individuals differ in typical intellectual engagement and that those…

The ability (fluid and crystallized intelligence) and nonability (personality, interests, self-concept, etc.) determinants of domain knowledge before and after an independent learning opportunity were evaluated in the context of a study of 141 adults between the ages of 18 and 69. The domain knowledge under consideration included an array of…

A developmental theory of adult intelligence is proposed called PPIK. The PPIK theory integrates intelligence as process, personality, interests, and intelligence-as-knowledge. Data from the study of knowledge structures are examined in the context of the theory and in relation to measures of content abilities. (SLD)

Research and metaanalyses suggest fundamental commonalities among measures of cognition, affect, and conation, yielding trait complexes that are differentially related to career choices and intellectual development. A counseling framework involves movement away from typological representations of vocational and avocational interests,…

A conceptual theory for predicting the relations between intellectual abilities and performance during task practice is proposed and is evaluated through an experiment with high school and college students. This macro-theory integrates hierarchical theories of intellectual abilities with information-processing theories of automatic and controlled…

A program of theoretical and empirical research focusing on the ability determinants of individual differences in skill acquisition is reviewed. An integrative framework for information-processing and cognitive ability determinants of skills is reviewed, along with principles for ability-skill relations. Experimental manipulations were used to…