Glossary / Lexicon

Ability

Deutsch: Fähigkeit / Español: Habilidad / Português: Habilidade / Français: Capacité / Italiano: Abilità /

Ability is a basic capacity of a person for performing a wide range of different tasks, acquiring knowledge, or developing a skill; what one has learned over a period of time from both school and nonschool sources; one's general capability for performing tasks.

Description

In psychology, "ability" refers to the capacity of an individual to perform certain tasks, solve problems, or acquire new skills. Abilities can be broadly categorized into cognitive, emotional, social, and physical domains. They are influenced by a combination of genetic factors, environmental influences, and individual experiences. Abilities can range from basic cognitive functions like memory and attention to complex skills such as language acquisition and social interaction. Psychologists often assess and measure abilities using standardized tests and observation methods. Understanding an individual's abilities can provide valuable insights into their strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas for growth.

Application Areas

  • Educational psychology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Occupational psychology
  • Clinical assessment
  • Talent development
  • Rehabilitation
  • Sports psychology

Treatment and Risks

  • Cognitive training programs
  • Behavioral interventions
  • Occupational therapy
  • Risks include over-reliance on certain abilities, performance anxiety, and burnout.

Examples

  • Problem-solving ability in a puzzle-solving task
  • Verbal ability in reading comprehension
  • Emotional intelligence in understanding and managing emotions
  • Social ability in forming and maintaining relationships
  • Motor ability in playing a musical instrument

Similar Concepts and Synonyms

  • Skill
  • Aptitude
  • Competency
  • Talent
  • Proficiency

Weblinks

  • top500.de: 'Ability' in the glossary of the top500.de

Articles with 'Ability' in the title

  • Creative ability: Creative ability is a term in Sternberg’s theory of intelligence that refers to the ability to deal adaptively with novel situations and problems. Creative ability refers to the capacity of individuals to generate new and original ideas, . . .
  • Fluid ability: Fluid ability refers to one of two (2) higher Order factors of intelligence conceived by Cattell. Fluid ability refers to a person's genetically based intellectual capacity
  • Human ability: Human ability refer to behaviors that reflect either what a person has learned or the person's capacity to emit a specific behavior that includes achievement, aptitude, and intelligence
  • Optimally exercised ability: Optimally exercised ability refers to the ability a normal, healthy adult would demonstrate under the best conditions of training or practice. Optimally exercised ability refers to the idea that individuals perform at their best when they a . . .
  • Age of viability: Age of viability is the age at which a fetus can survive because most of its bodily systems function adequately- typically at seven (7) months after conception - a point between the 22nd and 28th prenatal weeks when survival outside the ute . . .
  • Applicability: In the realm of psychology, "applicability" is a fundamental concept that pertains to the relevance and practical use of psychological principles, theories, and research findings in real-world contexts
  • Availability: Availability refers to how easy or difficult it is for someone to bring a schema or concept to mind. Other /More definition: Availability refers to the presence of information stored in long-term memory
  • Availability heuristic: Availability heuristic refers to a mental rule of thumb whereby people base a judgment on the ease with which they can bring something to mind. It is often used to make probability estimates, which depends on the frequency with which certai . . .
  • Believability: Believability, in the context of psychology, refers to the extent to which an individual's beliefs, perceptions, or judgments are considered credible, trustworthy, or plausible
  • Believability effect: Believability effect refers to the tendency to draw or accept conclusions from premises when the content of the conclusion makes intuitive sense, regardless of the logical necessity
  • Biologically primary abilities: Biologically primary abilities refer to cognitive abilities that have been selected for in evolution, are acquired universally, and children typically have high motivation to perform tasks involving them, such as language
  • Biologically secondary abilities: Biologically secondary abilities refer to cognitive abilities that build upon biologically primary abilities but are principally cultural inventions, and often-tedious repetition and external motivation are necessary for their mastery, such . . .
  • Boundary permeability: Boundary permeability refers to the degree to which boundaries are flexible among family members, and the nature of the contact that family members have with each other
  • Capability: Capability in the Psychology Context: Unlocking Human Potential- In the realm of psychology, capability refers to an individual's innate or acquired capacity to perform specific tasks, solve problems, adapt to challenges, and achieve goals
  • Continuity with stability: Continuity with stability: Continuity with stability refers to the expectation and Research finding that there is stability of individual differences in cognitive performance over time when the developmental fu- nction underlying performanc . . .
  • Crystallized abilities: Crystallized abilities refer to intellectual abilities in Cattell's theory of intelligence, that develop from cultural context and learning experience in contrast with Fluid abilities
  • Disability: Disability refers to a long-lasting physical, mental, or emotional condition. This condition can make it difficult for a person to do activities such as walking, climbing stairs, dressing, bathing, learning, or remembering
  • Disability psychology: In the psychology context, disability psychology refers to a specialized field that focuses on understanding the psychological aspects of living with a disability
  • Discontinuity with instability: Discontinuity with instability refers to the expectation and research finding that there is instability of individual differences in cognitive performance over time when the developmental function underlying performance is discontinuous and . . .
  • Discriminability: Discriminability is generally defined as the ability to distinguish between one stimulus and another. In the Recognition-by-components theory of object perception, Discriminability is a property of geons, which indicates that each geon can . . .
  • Discriminantability: Discriminantability in the context of psychology refers to the degree to which a psychological test or assessment can effectively differentiate between different groups or categories of individuals based on the construct it intends to measu . . .
  • Discriminantability analysis: Discriminantability analysis refers to a multi-variate data analysis method for finding the linear combination of variables that best describes the classification of groups into discrete categories
  • Dissociability: Dissociability in the context of psychology refers to the extent to which two or more mental processes or functions can operate independently or separately from each other
  • Ejaculatory inevitability: Ejaculatory inevitability refers to the first step in male ejaculation, the beginning of smooth-muscle contractions that trigger release of ejaculate- Other /More definition: Ejaculatory inevitability is defined as a feeling that ejaculatio . . .
  • EPSEM (Equal Probability of Selection Method): EPSEM (Equal Probability of Selection Method) : EPSEM refers to a sample design in which each member of a population has the same chance of being selected into the sample
  • Equivalent-forms reliability: Equivalent-forms reliability refers to the extent to which an individual obtains similar scores on equivalent, or parallel, forms of the same test. Equivalent-forms reliability is a type of reliability measurement used in psychology to as . . .
  • Excitability: Excitability in psychology refers to an individual's propensity to react with heightened responsiveness or sensitivity to stimuli, whether internal or external
  • Experimental reliability: Experimental reliability refers to the extent to which the experimental results can be replicated or will be obtained again if the experiment is repeated
  • Fluid abilities: Fluid abilities is a term used in Cattell's theory of intelligence that refers to intellectual abilities that are biologically determined and reflected in tests of memory span and spatial thinking
  • Fry Readability Graph: Fry Readability Graph is defined as a method of determining the readability level of written material by analyzing sentence length and the average number of syllables per word
  • Gender stability: Gender stability refers to the stage of gender identity in which the child recognizes that gender is stable over time- an understanding in pre-school children that boys become men and girls become women Gender stability is also defined as t . . .
  • Generalizability: Generalizability refers to an extent to which research results apply to a range of individuals not included in the study. - More definition: Generalizability is defined as the extent to which the results of a study generalize to, or inform . . .
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) : Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) refers to an act which ensures the privacy of client records and the sharing of such information
  • Heritability: Heritability refers to a mathematical estimate that indicates how much of a trait’s variation in a population can be attributed to genetic factors. Other /More definition: heritability refers to the proportion of the variance of a trait t . . .
  • Heritability coefficient: Heritability coefficient: Heritability coefficient refers to a measure that is derived from a correlation coefficient of the extent to which a trait or characteristic is inherited
  • Heritability ratio: Heritability ratio: Heritability ratio refers to an estimate of the proportion of trait variability in a population that is determined by variations in genetic inheritance
  • Hierarchical model of cognitive abilities: Hierarchical model of cognitive abilities : Hierarchical model of cognitive abilities refers to the model that proposes that intelligence is composed of specific cognitive abilities (for example, verbal, spatial, speed of processing, memo . . .
  • Inability: In the context of psychology, the term "inability" refers to a lack of ability or capacity to do something. This can refer to physical or cognitive abilities, such as being unable to walk due to a physical disability or being unable to reme . . .
  • Inter-rater reliability: Inter-rater reliability is defined the degree of agreement between two (2) observers who simultaneously record measurements of a behavior. Inter-rater reliability is also spelled Interrater reliability
  • Interindividual variability: Interindividual variability refer to patterns of change that vary from one person to another- an acknowledgment that adults differ in the direction of their intellectual development
  • Interrater reliability: Interrater reliability (or Interjudge reliability) refers to the level of agreement between two (2) or more raters who have evaluated the same individual independently
  • Invulnerability: Invulnerability in the context of psychology refers to the belief or feeling of being immune to harm, danger, or negative consequences. It often manifests as overconfidence and a disregard for potential risks or vulnerabilities
  • Learnability: Learnability is a term used in psychology to describe the ability of an individual to learn and acquire new knowledge, skills, and behaviors. It is a fundamental aspect of human cognitive functioning that plays a critical role in personal a . . .
  • Learnability approach: Learnability approach is the question of whether language, or some aspect of language, could, in fact, be learned by children. If language is not learnable, then it must be innate
  • Neuroticism-Stability: Neuroticism-Stability refers to an important trait dimension in Eysenck's two- factor theory and in the Big Five. It is the tendency to become emotionally upset
  • Nonprobability sampling: Nonprobability sampling refers to any technique in which samples are selected in some way not suggested by probability theory. Examples include reliance on available subjects as well as purposive (judgmental), quota, and snowball sampling
  • Parallel forms reliability: Parallel forms reliability refers to the method of reliability assessment used to evaluate the error associated with the use of a particular set of items
  • Permeability: Permeability is defined as the property of a membrane that refers to the ability of molecules to pass through it. If the permeability to a molecule is high, the molecule can easily pass through the membrane
  • Portability: Portability in psychology refers to an individual's capacity to adapt, transfer, or apply learned skills, knowledge, or behaviors across different situations, settings, or contexts
  • Principle of falsifiability: Principle of falsifiability refers to Popper's contention that for a theory to be considered scientific it must specify the observations that, if made, would refute the theory
  • Probability: Probability refers to the odds or likelihood that an event will happen or occur. It is a measure a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur, for example will be "what is the probability of rain?" etc
  • Probability sampling: Probability sampling refers to a research strategy that involves acquiring a random sample for inclusion in a study- a sampling method in which the entire population is known, each individual in the population has a specifiable probability . . .
  • Readability: In the realm of psychology, "readability" pertains to the ease with which written or verbal information can be comprehended and understood by individuals
  • Reliability: Reliability refers to the extent wherein the result of an experiment is consistent or repeatable. In psychology, reliability refers to the consistency and stability of research findings or measurement instruments over time
  • Social desirability bias: Social desirability bias refers to the tendency when answering questionnaires to produce answers that are more socially desirable than honest answers would be
  • Split-half reliability: Split-half reliability refers to the determination of Reliability of a test by dividing the test items into two (2) arbitrary groups and correlating the scores obtained on the two (2) halves of the test
  • Stability: Stability: The stability is an information that indicates whether the cause of the success (or failure) is an enduring characteristic or one that changes or disappears over time
  • Stereotype vulnerability: Stereotype vulnerability refers to the apprehension experienced by members of a minority group that they might behave in a manner that confirms an existing cultural stereotype
  • Sustainability Science: Sustainability Science refers to the integrated study of society-nature interdependencies and the quest to balance economic, equity and environmental objectives in urban, regional and global development trajectories
  • Test-retest reliability: Test-retest reliability refers to a method for testing whether self-reports are reliable or accurate- participants are interviewed (or given a questionnaire) and then interviewed a second time sometime later to determine whether their answe . . .
  • Undesirability: In psychology, "undesirability" refers to the subjective perception of something as unwelcome, unpleasant, or undesirable. It encompasses thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with aversion or rejection of certain experiences, situat . . .
  • Variability: Variability refers to the degree of change in a phenomenon over time. In psychology, variability refers to the extent to which a particular trait or behavior varies within a group or population
  • Vulnerability: Vulnerability refers to susceptibility or tendency to develop a physical or mental disorder. In psychology, vulnerability refers to the openness or susceptibility to physical, emotional, or social harm or injury
  • Window of vulnerability: Window of vulnerability refers to the fact that, at certain times, people are more vulnerable to particular health problems. For example, early adolescence constitutes a window of vulnerability for beginning smoking, drug use, and alcohol a . . .

Summary

In psychology, "ability" encompasses the capacity of individuals to perform tasks, solve problems, and acquire new skills across various domains. Abilities are influenced by genetic factors, environmental influences, and individual experiences. They can be assessed and measured using standardized tests and observation methods, providing insights into strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth. Psychologists apply knowledge of abilities in diverse fields such as education, neuropsychology, and talent development to enhance individual functioning and well-being.

--