Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Abilities to Learn: Cognitive Abilities

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning

Synonyms

Aptitudes; Cognitive processes; Individual differences; Intellect; Traits

Definition

Cognitive abilities are aspects of mental functioning, such as memorizing and remembering; inhibiting and focusing attention; speed of information processing; and spatial and causal reasoning. Individual differences between people are measured by comparing scores on tests of these mental abilities. Tests of general intelligence, such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test, are based on a broad sample of these mental ability tests, and measures of aptitudes for learning in specific instructional domains, such as mathematics, or language learning, are based on a narrower sampling of the domain-relevant abilities.

Theoretical Background

Theoretical and empirical research into the structure of memory by Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850–1909) and the functions of attention by William James (1842–1910) provided the foundations for the development of operational tests of cognitive abilities at the beginning...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 3,400.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 2,999.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Carroll, J. B. (1993). Human cognitive abilities: A survey of factor-analytic studies. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dehn, M. J. (2008). Working memory and academic learning: Assessment and intervention. Hoboken: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, P. (2005). Aptitude and second language acquisition. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 25, 46–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salthouse, T. A. (2010). Major issues in cognitive aging. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shavelson, R. J., & Roeser, R. W. (Eds.) (2002). Educational assessment. Special issue: A multidimensional approach to achievement validation. (Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 77–205). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snow, R. E. (1994). Abilities in academic tasks. In R. J. Sternberg & R. K. Wagner (Eds.), Mind in context: Interactionist perspectives on human intelligence (pp. 3–37). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English, Aoyama Gakuin University, 4-4-25 Shibuya, 150-8366, Tokyo, Japan

    Dr. Peter Robinson

Authors
  1. Dr. Peter Robinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter Robinson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Education, University of Freiburg, 79085, Freiburg, Germany

    Norbert M. Seel

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this entry

Cite this entry

Robinson, P. (2012). Abilities to Learn: Cognitive Abilities. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_620

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_620

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1427-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1428-6

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation