Intelligence testing

Intelligence testing uses standardized, norm-referenced tasks to assess cognitive abilities. Scores estimate performance relative to a comparison group rather than measuring intelligence directly.

Intelligence quotient: A score expressing cognitive test performance relative to an age-based or population norm. It is the familiar score format used to summarize many intelligence tests.
General intelligence factor: A statistical factor representing the positive correlations among performance on diverse cognitive tasks. Many test batteries are designed to estimate this shared dimension of performance.
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale: A standardized individually administered intelligence test for adults and older adolescents. It exemplifies a widely used battery that reports both overall and index scores.
Achievement test: A test measuring knowledge or skills acquired through learning or instruction. Unlike ability tests, achievement tests primarily assess what a person has learned.
Psychometrics: The study and practice of measuring psychological attributes through tests and statistical models. Its methods establish whether test scores measure abilities reliably and validly.
Fluid and crystallized intelligence: A distinction between reasoning in novel situations and abilities built through acquired knowledge. The distinction helps explain why tests sample different kinds of cognitive performance.
Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales: An individually administered intelligence test with a long history of revisions and age coverage. Its development illustrates how intelligence testing became a standardized clinical practice.
Aptitude test: A test intended to estimate capacity or potential for learning or performance in a domain. The label emphasizes predicted future performance, though it can overlap with intelligence testing.
Norm-referenced test: A test whose scores are interpreted by comparison with results from a defined reference group. Intelligence-test results gain meaning through comparison with a norm group.
Working memory: The capacity to maintain and manipulate information over short periods. Tasks involving working memory contribute to several commonly assessed cognitive domains.

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