Description | Chantel Prat, PhD Associate Professor, University of Washington The Cognitive Neuroscience of Aptitude What does it mean to have potential? Traditional behavioral assessments of aptitude are limited in at least three critical ways. First, such tests are typically developed in iteration with theories of aptitude, leading to circular definitions that result in “aptitude is what aptitude tests measure” type conundrums. Second, it is nearly impossible to measure “pure” potential. As such, aptitude tests often rely on measures of what an individual can already do to predict future performance. Such indices may be influenced by systematic biases and inequities related to previous experiences and access to resources. Third, there is often a trade-off between the predictive utility of a behavioral measure, and the explanatory power that the measure provides for understanding the relation between the way an individual’s mind works, and the behavior of interest. Over the past six years, I have been systematically exploring ways in which a neuropsychometric approach to aptitude might be used to circumvent these limitations. In this promotion talk, I’ll summarize these explorations through a series of studies that have used multimodal brain imaging data extracted from task-free, or “resting,” states to predict complex skill learning. What can we learn about a person’s future potential from stable, network-level characterizations of their brain function, and how might such information be used to improve theories, as well as assessment and training? chairpsy@uw.edu is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: TBA This free lecture is part of the promotion review for Dr. Prat in the Department of Psychology. |
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