Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 5, 2026

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
Published on: September 27, 2020
The locus of adult intelligence: knowledge, abilities, and nonability traits
1School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332-0170, USA. psych.gatech.edu.
Abstract:
Some intelligence theorists (e.g., R. B. Cattell, 1943; D. O. Hebb, 1942) have suggested that knowledge is one aspect of human intelligence that is well preserved or increases during adult development. Very little is known about knowledge structures across different domains or about how individual differences in knowledge relate to other traits. Twenty academic and technology-oriented tests were administered to 135 middle-aged adults. In comparison with younger college students, the middle-aged adults knew more about nearly all of the various knowledge domains. Knowledge was partly predicted by general intelligence, by crystallized abilities, and by personality, interest, and self-concept. Implications of this work are discussed in the context of a developmental theory that focuses on the acquisition and maintenance of intelligence-as-knowledge, as well as the role of knowledge for predicting the vocational and avocational task performance of adults.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Intelligence
Cattell's Theory of Intelligence
Fluid intelligence involves the capacity to solve new problems and adapt to unfamiliar situations. It's the type of intelligence individuals use when they encounter a novel problem or puzzle that requires innovative thinking. For instance, figuring out how to operate a new gadget relies heavily on fluid...
Biological Influences on Intelligence
Rotter's Locus of Control
Individuals with an internal locus of control believe that their personal efforts and decisions directly affect their...
Locus of Control
Psychometric Approach of Cognitive Development

