Ecological Cognitive Assessment: A New Frontier for the Conceptualisation and Measurement of Cognitive Ability

Abstract

Predominant theories of cognitive ability and methods of cognitive assessment assume that cognitive abilities differ between individuals but remain consistent within individuals, at least over short periods of time (e.g., weeks and months). As a result, cognitive ability is generally assessed at a single point in time in a static context. However, this approach fails to account for the empirical evidence that shows our performance on cognitive assessments varies over several weeks and months. In this thesis, I investigate whether this short-term within-person variation in cognitive performance is systematic and meaningful, or just noise (as predominant theories and methods would suggest). To do so, I use ecological assessment methods and analysis processes that allow a more comprehensive understanding of if, how, and why cognitive performance varies over time within the individual. Across three studies, I explore how the data generated from EMA can be parameterised to capture between-person differences in ecological within-individual variation in cognitive performance across time and contexts. I show that many of these parameters incrementally predict university performance over and above performance on a traditional single session cognitive assessment and that this relationship appears to emerge because short-term within-person variation in cognitive performance is a substantive construct above and beyond cognitive ability as we traditionally conceptualise and assess it. Moreover, I demonstrate that this short-term within-person variation is an adaptive process that facilitates resilience to changes in internal states, which enables individuals to perform well under varied situational cues. The findings of this thesis suggests that short-term within-person variation in cognitive performance is systematic and meaningful, and should be incorporated into our theories of cognitive ability and methods of cognitive assessment.