• Horstmann Kai Tobias

Cognitive abilities are a well-researched phenomenon in psychology. They can be measured reliably and allow predicting relevant life-outcomes, such as career success or well-being. Cognitive abilities are also characterized by sizeable within- and between-person differences across the life-span. This seminar dives into the topic of cognitive abilities (such as intelligence, reaction time, working memory), their history and development, current state-of-the-art theories, nomological networks of cognitive theories as well as their application in different contexts. It will further cover the measurement of cognitive abilities, the interpretation of test-scores, and their reporting in psychological reports.

Students learn about history and development of cognitive abilities, current theories (e.g., CHC Model), and nomological networks of cognitive abilities. They will learn to apply standardized tests and how to evaluate, interpret, and report individual test scores given evidence of reliability, measurement precision, and validity. Students will also learn how to select appropriate measurement procedures depending on the individual use-case.

Evaluation method:

Students will read seminal work on cognitive abilities 2 minute podcast introduction before the seminar; they will also take an entrance exam 4 weeks prior to the seminar. During the seminar, they will apply tests for cognitive abilities and report their findings in a presentation. Following the seminar, students will submit a written report about a fictional persons' results (1.500 words).

Schneider, W. J., & McGrew, K. S. (2018). The Cattell–Horn–Carroll theory of cognitive abilities. In D. P. Flanagan & E. M. McDonough (Hrsg.), Contemporary intellectual assessment: Theories, tests, and issues (S. 73–163). The Guilford Press.

Stern, E., & Neubauer, A. (2016). Intelligenz: Kein Mythos, sondern Realität. Psychologische Rundschau, 67(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1026/0033-3042/a000290