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Resource Limitations and Process Dissociations in Individual Differences Research

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Generative Mental Processes and Cognitive Resources

Abstract

General resource limitations (such as processing speed) account for most of the age-related individual differences in cognitive tasks. Empirical support for this position rests on analyses of systematic relations across experimental conditions and on mediator-based regression models across persons. We point out methodological problems with both approaches and propose an alternative, called cognitive psychophysics, which determines resource demand across a wide range of performance accuracy. Results suggest that it is necessary to distinguish between different domains of cognitive processing that are affected not at all or to different degrees when people get older. The approach may also be useful for other individual-difference variables.

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Correspondence to Reinhold Kliegl .

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Kliegl, R., Mayr, U., Oberauer, K. (2000). Resource Limitations and Process Dissociations in Individual Differences Research. In: von Hecker, U., Dutke, S., Sedek, G. (eds) Generative Mental Processes and Cognitive Resources. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4373-8_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4373-8_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5880-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4373-8

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