Abstract:

Discusses the measurement of deductive and inductive reasoning ability. In an overview of the current aspects of measuring reasoning ability, the following topics are discussed: (1) thought processes in reasoning, (2) reasoning in various models of the structure of intelligence, (3) formal classifications of reasoning, (4) empirical classifications of reasoning measures, and (5) working memory and reasoning. It is concluded that future research on measuring and understanding reasoning ability should be characterized by more theoretically motivated work on the processes and resources involved in reasoning and on the use of confirmatory methods at the item and test level to investigate meaningful measurement and structural models.