ABSTRACT
John Carroll believes in the existence and importance of individual differences in human abilities. The importance of individual differences lies in two areas: (1) increased understanding of the nature of human abilities, and (2) educational policy and practice. In this first area, Carroll believes that systematically examining individual differences will help us better understand the workings of the human mind. "(T)he study of individual differences in cognitive task performance may lead to better understanding of the formation of individual differences in general, as well as to fundamental knowledge about the nature of the underlying cognitive processes" (Psychometric Tests as Cognitive Tasks, p. 161). Similarly, "although the state of the art in individual difference research in an information-processing mode can be thought of as little more than embryonic, this type of research appears to have a promising future" (How Shall We Study Individual Differences, p. 191). Finally, "if this field (of individual differences) is given thorough and intense attention, the results can be highly productive in gaining a better
understanding of the nature of human cognitive abilities" (Ability and Task Difficulty, p. 211).
