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Everyday Cognition and the Ecological Validity of Intellectual and Neuropsychological Tests

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Cognitive Approaches to Neuropsychology

Part of the book series: Human Neuropsychology ((HN))

Abstract

The notions of ecological validity and everyday cognition emerged predominantly from three sources in psychology. These were the study of practical intelligence in cognitive psychology (Sternberg, 1977; Neisser, 1982), the study of everyday cognition in gerontology (Acker, 1986; Poon, 1986; West, 1985) and the prediction of everyday functioning in neuropsychological rehabilitation settings (Chelune & Moehle, 1986; Hart & Hayden, 1986). Movements in all of these areas were at least partially motivated by a reaction to the general psychometric, trait-oriented theories of intelligence and the arcane style of intellectual and neuropsychological tests which had developed largely since the second world war. The following is a very brief history of these movements, a review of the current ideas subsumed under the term ecological validity and a future program of test development which will presumably combine these new ideas with the best from the past.

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Authors
  1. J. Michael Williams
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mental Health Sciences, Hahnemann Medical University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    J. Michael Williams

  2. Memphis State University and University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

    Charles J. Long

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© 1988 Plenum Press, New York

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Williams, J.M. (1988). Everyday Cognition and the Ecological Validity of Intellectual and Neuropsychological Tests. In: Williams, J.M., Long, C.J. (eds) Cognitive Approaches to Neuropsychology. Human Neuropsychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5577-9_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5577-9_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-5579-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-5577-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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