Differentiation in Cognitive Abilities Beyond g: The Emergence of Domain-Specific Variance in Childhood

Understanding how the structure of cognitive abilities changes depending on age and ability (age and ability differentiation) has critical implications for cognitive-ability assessments and cognitive-developmental theories. Most differentiation research has focused on general intelligence; however,...

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Published inPsychological science Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 168 - 183
Main Authors Bardach, Lisa, Kalinowski, Robert, Bailey, Drew H.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2025
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Age differences
Age Factors
Aptitude - physiology
Child
Child Development - physiology
Childhood
Cognition - physiology
Cognitive ability
Cognitive development
Cognitive flexibility
Differentiation
Female
Humans
Intelligence
Intelligence - physiology
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mathematics
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Reading
Short term memory
age differentiation
childhood
investment theory
ability differentiation
circumvention of limits
specific abilities
intelligence
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ISSN0956-7976
1467-9280
1467-9280
DOI10.1177/09567976251321382

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Summary:Understanding how the structure of cognitive abilities changes depending on age and ability (age and ability differentiation) has critical implications for cognitive-ability assessments and cognitive-developmental theories. Most differentiation research has focused on general intelligence; however, we argue that the investments children make in specific domains and school-taught subjects should rather affect their domain-specific ability structures. Leveraging a representative longitudinal sample of 17,979 U.S. children who were assessed in mathematics, reading, science, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, we found that loadings on a general intelligence factor remained similar, whereas most domain-specific factor loadings increased over time. Hence, age and ability differentiation are conceptually distinct, with the former pertaining to specific abilities and the latter to general intelligence. We find some evidence that domain-specific abilities can compensate for lower general intelligence. Overall, our results encourage a nuanced understanding of children’s cognitive development.
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ISSN:0956-7976
1467-9280
1467-9280
DOI:10.1177/09567976251321382