SOME PROBLEMS OF DEFINITION

A predominant and recurring concern throughout this book is the identification and description of cognitive abilities. I had better be clear, at the outset, on what I mean by ability, cognitive ability, and related terms.

Ability

Although the term ability is in common usage both in everyday talk and in scientific discussions among psychologists, educators, and other specialists, its precise definition is seldom explicated or even considered. It is a word that seems to be accepted as a sort of conceptual primitive, and in fact it is intimately related to such commonly used words as able and the simple modal auxiliary can. It is sometimes used to characterize material objects, as in the sentence “This bullet has the ability to penetrate a wooden board three inches thick.” More frequently, however, it is used to characterize attributes of human individuals, as in expressions like athletic ability, musical ability, and (in the context of this book) cognitive ability. It expresses a kind of potential, a term which has merited the attention of philosophers of education (Scheffler, 1985).

Oddly enough, dictionaries are of little help in developing an exact, analyzed meaning of the term. The American Heritage Dictionary, for example, defines ability as “the quality of being able to do something; physical, mental, financial, or legal power to perform.”