Ability

1. Michael Johnson, PhD Ability

2. Today�s Agenda Ability tests in computer lab Ability presentation

3. Ability Ability refers to the relatively stable capabilities people have to perform a particular range of different but related activities. Ability is relatively stable. Abilities are a function of both genes and the environment.

4. Cognitive Ability Cognitive abilities are capabilities related to the acquisition and application of knowledge in problem solving.

5. Cognitive Ability, Cont�d Verbal ability refers to various capabilities associated with understanding and expressing oral and written communication. Oral comprehension is the ability to understand spoken words and sentences. Written comprehension is the ability to understand written words and sentences. Oral expression refers to the ability to communicate ideas by speaking. Written expression refers to the ability to communicate ideas in writing.

6. GMAT Verbal Reasoning Contrary to popular myth, war heroes rarely earn their status by acting as if they themselves are invincible. if�they themselves are invincible though�they are invincible being�invincible invincible if�they were invincible

7. Cognitive Ability, Cont�d Quantitative ability refers to two types of mathematical capabilities. Number facility is the capability to do simple math operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing). Mathematical reasoning refers to the ability to choose and apply formulas to solve problems that involve numbers.

8. GMAT Quantitative Reasoning If the average cost of producing one widget decreases from $12.50 to $10.75, what is the percent of the decrease? 10 12.5 14 15 16

9. Cognitive Ability, Cont�d Reasoning ability is actually a diverse set of abilities associated with sensing and solving problems using insight, rules, and logic. Problem sensitivity is the ability to sense that there�s a problem or likely will be one. Deductive reasoning refers to the use of general rules to solve problems. Inductive reasoning refers to the ability to consider several specific pieces of information and then reach a more general conclusion regarding how those pieces are related. Originality refers to the ability to develop clever and novel ways to solve problems.

10. GMAT Critical Reasoning People should be held accountable for their own behavior, and if holding people accountable for their own behavior entails capital punishment, then so be it. However, no person should be held accountable for behavior over which he or she had no control. Which of the following is the most logical conclusion of the argument above? People should not be held accountable for the behavior of other people. People have control over their own behavior. People cannot control the behavior of other people. Behavior that cannot be controlled should not be punished. People have control over behavior that is subject to capital punishment.

11. Cognitive Ability, Cont�d Spatial ability Spatial orientation refers to having a good understanding of where one is relative to other things in the environment. Visualization is the ability to imagine how separate things will look if they were put together in a particular way.

12. Spatial Ability Tests Which pattern can be folded to make the cube shown?

13. Cognitive Ability, Cont�d Perceptual abilities generally refer to being able to perceive, understand, and recall patterns of information. Speed and flexibility of closure refers to being able to pick out a pattern of information quickly in the presence of distracting information, even without all the information present. Perceptual speed refers to being able to examine and compare numbers, letters, and objects quickly.

14. Cognitive Ability, Cont�d People who are high on verbal abilities also tend to be high on reasoning, quantitative, spatial, and perceptual abilities. The most popular explanation for the similarity in the levels of different cognitive abilities within people is that there is a general mental ability �sometimes called g or the g factor �that underlies or causes all of the more specific cognitive abilities discussed so far.

15. Emotional Ability Emotional intelligence is a human ability that affects social functioning. It is a more important determinant of job performance for people with lower levels of cognitive intelligence. It is the foundation for cultural intelligence.

16. Emotional Ability, Cont�d Four factors of EI Self-awareness is the appraisal and expression of emotions in oneself. Other awareness is the appraisal and recognition of emotion in others. Emotion regulation refers to being able to recover quickly from emotional experiences. Use of emotions reflects the degree to which people can harness emotions and employ them to improve their chances of being successful in whatever they are seeking to do.

17. Other Awareness Find a partner, and position your chairs so that you can see your partner�s face, but only one of you can see the screen. A series of emotions will appear on the screen. The partner that can see the screen should act out that emotion, using facial expressions and gestures. The other partner guesses the emotion.

24. Physical Abilities Strength is the degree to which the body is capable of exerting force. Static strength refers to the ability to lift, push, or pull very heavy objects using the hands, arms, legs, shoulder, or back. Explosive strength happens when the person exerts short bursts of energy to move him- or herself or an object. Dynamic strength refers to the ability to exert force for a prolonged period of time without becoming overly fatigued and giving out.

25. Physical Abilities, Cont�d Stamina refers to the ability of a person�s lungs and circulatory system to work efficiently while he or she is engaging in prolonged physical activity.

26. Physical Abilities, Cont�d Flexibility refers to the ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach. Extent flexibility is when people need to work in a cramped compartment or an awkward position. Dynamic flexibility happens when a job requires repeated and somewhat quick bends, stretches, twists, or reaches. Gross body coordination refers to the ability to synchronize the movements of the body, arms, and legs to do something while the whole body is in motion. Gross body equilibrium involves the ability to maintain the balance of the body in unstable contexts or when the person has to change directions.

27. Physical Abilities, Cont�d Psychomotor abilities generally refer to the capacity to manipulate and control objects. Fine manipulative abilities refer to the ability to keep the arms and hands steady while using the hands to do precise work. Control movement abilities are important in tasks for which people have to make different precise adjustments using machinery to complete the work effectively. Response orientation refers to the ability to choose the right action quickly in response to several different signals. Response time reflects how quickly an individual responds to signaling information after it occurs.

28. Physical Abilities, Cont�d Sensory abilities refer to capabilities associated with vision and hearing. Near and far vision is the ability to see things up close and at a distance or in low light contexts (night vision). Visual color discrimination and depth perception is the ability to perceive colors and judge relative distances between things accurately.

29. Physical Abilities, Cont�d Sensory abilities, continued Hearing sensitivity is the capability to hear and discriminate sounds that vary in terms of loudness and pitch. Auditory attention is being able to focus on a single sound in the presence of many other sounds. Speech recognition is the ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

30. What Are the Specific Types of Ability?

31. How Important Is Ability? Cognitive ability is a strong predictor of job performance � in particular, the task performance aspect. People who have higher general cognitive ability tend to be better at learning and decision making. Cognitive ability tends to be more strongly correlated with task performance than citizenship behavior or counterproductive behavior. Research has not supported a significant linkage between cognitive ability and organizational commitment.

32. Intelligence and Success

33. Intelligence and Success

34. The Wonderlic Personnel Test Given the strong relationship between general cognitive ability and job performance, many organizations are using ability tests to hire new employees. Wonderlic Personnel Test is a 12-minute test of general cognitive ability that consists of 50 questions. Offers recommendations for minimum passing scores for different job families.

35. Sample Wonderlic Questions

36. Wonderlic Personnel Test The Wonderlic is given to all football players who participate in the NFL combine (a requirement for being eligible for the draft) Vince Young (Texas): 6 Matt Hasselbeck (Boston College): 29 Pat McInally (Harvard): 50Vince Young (Texas): 6 Matt Hasselbeck (Boston College): 29 Pat McInally (Harvard): 50

37. Wonderlic Personnel Test