Tuesday, January 13, 2004
STANDARDIZED TESTING AS A PREDICTOR OF PERFORMANCE
Rob at BusinessPundit links to an APA press release of a research article that cites the MAT test as a fairly reliable predictor for real-world performance, giving weight to those who argue for the validity of using standardized testing as an admissions criteria for elite schools. Full text of the research article here.
Assuming that the methodology was up to snuff ( this was a meta-analysis) here's my impression. I'm not surprised that the MAT would be a useful predictor of real-world success, more so than the standard types of IQ testing like the Slossen or g-loaded aptitude tests like the SAT I. Much of effective human communication revolves around analogical thinking where a lack of understanding is bridged by the introduction of comparable or parallel concepts to which the subject can successfully relate to or extrapolate from. Logical thinking, which is so critical in areas like law and engineering often result in long chains of variables in which the listener can easily get lost - successful analogies produce greater leaps of insight. In other words, this is more like how humans naturally tend to reason when engaging in a casual discussion or argument. ¶ 10:00 AM
Rob at BusinessPundit links to an APA press release of a research article that cites the MAT test as a fairly reliable predictor for real-world performance, giving weight to those who argue for the validity of using standardized testing as an admissions criteria for elite schools. Full text of the research article here.
Assuming that the methodology was up to snuff ( this was a meta-analysis) here's my impression. I'm not surprised that the MAT would be a useful predictor of real-world success, more so than the standard types of IQ testing like the Slossen or g-loaded aptitude tests like the SAT I. Much of effective human communication revolves around analogical thinking where a lack of understanding is bridged by the introduction of comparable or parallel concepts to which the subject can successfully relate to or extrapolate from. Logical thinking, which is so critical in areas like law and engineering often result in long chains of variables in which the listener can easily get lost - successful analogies produce greater leaps of insight. In other words, this is more like how humans naturally tend to reason when engaging in a casual discussion or argument. ¶ 10:00 AM
