Ch 20

• Aptitude involves readiness to acquire some skill or knowledge, ability to acquire those skills/knowledge, and ability to derive satisfaction from those activities
• Aptitude refers to a special potential in a certain field of performance, indicating a special ability, acquired or innate, to learn or develop knowledge of a skill in some specific area
• Aptitude can help predict an individual's future performance and can be enhanced with proper training
• Aptitude tests are available in two forms: specialized aptitude tests and general aptitude tests
• Interest is a tendency to choose one activity in preference to another, or to seek out an activity or object, implying preferences or likes and dislikes for specific activities
• Interests can be classified into extrinsic interests (attached to rewards) and intrinsic interests (without rewards)
• Various techniques to measure interests include self ratings, interviews, questionnaires, checklists, and inventories
• Ability, commonly known as intelligence, represents the innate capacity to act and helps in problem-solving
• Intelligence is an important ability and there are multiple intelligences according to contemporary views, such as cognitive, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, and other areas
• Mental age refers to age-related mental maturity, while IQ is the ratio of mental age and chronological age
• Job decisions should be consistent with one's abilities, aptitudes, and interests, and these concepts are related to choices of study, hobbies, and career decisions
• Job descriptions inform applicants about the nature of work, required knowledge and skills, work timings, holidays, and the kind of intelligence level, aptitude, and interest needed for the job