ABSTRACT
Individual differences in learning and performance cannot be explained solely by individual differences in cognitive abilities. In addition to abilities, the learning process requires individuals to deliberately focus attentional effort and to persist, despite initial failures and difficulties. In recognition of this fact, some researchers seeking a more complete account of individual differences in learning and performance have turned their attention to the role of conative mechanisms. At a theoretical level, the inclusion of conative concepts (such as motivation, effort, arousal, and volition) raises several new questions about how these non-cognitive process may affect cognitive processing during learning. Pragmatically, the integration of ability and motivation approaches to learning provides a tractable framework for understanding the all-too-common situation in which individuals with sufficient cognitive abilities sometimes demonstrate poor learning.
