Cognitive ability refers to how we process information, including how we perceive things, how we conceptualize them and how we solve problems. The phrase is often used interchangeably with the word intelligence. Psychologists have devised numerous standardized tests of cognitive ability, which are used in a variety of settings. For example, employers may require cognitive ability testing as part of a job selection process. The SAT is a widely used standardized test but what it actually tests is the subject of considerable debate.
The SAT is a two part test administered by the College Board in the United States. The first part tests critical reading, math and writing abilities and the second part tests knowledge in specific subject areas. The College Board takes the position that the SAT measures reasoning ability rather than intelligence. However, if intelligence is used synonymously with cognitive ability and cognitive ability is synonymous with with reasoning skills, then the debate becomes somewhat semantic. Whether universities see the SAT as a measure of intelligence or not, they do use the SAT scores in their selection processes.
Psychological researchers at Case Western Reserve University found the SAT does measure overall intelligence, without the need to resort to other intelligence tests. The President and Founder of the Princeton Review, John Katzman, disagrees. Katzman says the SAT does not measure intelligence, but that it is used as a "predictor" of intelligence. He does acknowledge the SAT has a slight predictive validity for first year grades. Claude Steele, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University says SAT and IQ (intelligence quotient) tests correlate highly so the SAT is, in a sense, an intelligence test.
If, as we are lead to believe, SAT scores are a measure of cognitive ability (intelligence), then a study done at the University of Western Ontario in Canada raises some disturbing questions about male-female differences. In their study published in Science Direct, researchers found 17 to 18 year old males on average scored 3.63 points higher than females on the 1991 SAT. The researchers concluded a male-female difference, while not large, exists. Male-female differences in intelligence is a controversial topic, made more so by the debate over whether the SAT actually does test intelligence.