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Beyond the Total Score: Revealing Cognitive Heterogeneity in High Ability Through Latent Profile Analysis

delete2026-08-02
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OA
AI
N
Norah Almulhim *
A
Abdullah M. Aljughaiman
F
Fahad S. Alfaiz
DOI:10.3390/jintelligence14080166delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
This study examined whether a single total-score cutoff in the Mawhiba Multiple Cognitive Aptitude Test (MMCAT) may conceal meaningful cognitive profile differences between students across four domains: mental flexibility, verbal reasoning and reading comprehension, mathematical–spatial reasoning, and scientific–mechanical reasoning. Archival score data from 5146 school-nominated students across three assessment levels in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, were analyzed. Latent profile models were estimated separately for each assessment level. A three-profile solution was retained for Levels 1 and 2, and a four-profile solution for Level 3. The retained profiles differed mainly in the overall performance level rather than the profile shape. The operational cutoff of 1540 captured globally high-performing profiles at considerably higher rates than adjacent middle-range profiles, and the identified groups remained internally heterogeneous across all levels. The findings indicate that the current identification rule effectively captures broad, high-level performance, yet it does not represent all adjacent cognitive profiles equally. This has implications for identification policy and educational programming for gifted students.
Keywords:
latent profile analysis
cognitive heterogeneity
gifted identification
cutoff scores
multidimensional assessment

Journal

J
Journal of Intelligence
IF:
3.4
Papers:
330
Citations:
0

Organization

K
king faisal university
Scholars:
2.0K
Papers: 1.2K
Citations: 0
K
king saud university
Scholars:
4.5K
Papers: 2.5K
Citations: 1
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