Contemporary Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC)
theory of cognitive abilities has evolved over the past 20 years
and serves as the theoretical foundation for a number of current
cognitive ability assessments. CHC theory provides a means by which
we can better understand the relationships between cognitive
abilities and academic achievement, an important component of
learning disabilities identification and instructional planning. A
research synthesis of the extant CHC cognitive- achievement
(COG-ACH) research literature is reported. Systematic and
operationally defined research synthesis procedures were employed
to address limitations present in the only prior attempted
synthesis. Nineteen studies met the criteria for inclusion which
yielded 134 analyses. The 134 analyses were organized by three age
groups (6-8, 9-13, and 14-19) and by four achievement domains
(basic reading skills, reading comprehension, basic math skills,
and math reasoning). The results reveal a much more nuanced set of
CHC COG-ACH relations than was identified in the only prior review.
This is a function of: (a) breadth of cognitive abilities and
measures (broad vs. narrow), (b) breadth of achievement domains
(e.g., basic reading skills and reading comprehension vs. broad
reading), and (c) developmental (age) status. The findings argue
for selective, flexible and referral-focused intelligence testing,
particularly in the context of emerging Response to Intervention
(RtI) assessment models. The results suggest that narrow CHC
abilities should be the primary focus of instructionally relevant
intelligence testing. Furthermore, the finding that over 90% of the
available research is based on the Woodcock-Johnson Battery argues
for significant caution in generalizing the findings to other
batteries. CHC-based cognitive-achievement research with other
intelligence batteries is recommended.
1. Introduction
