The Science of Aptitudes

The science of aptitudes requires both a strong commitment to psychometric standards, and ongoing work to ensure continued relevancy of the instrumentation. The Foundation is committed to sharing our research in order to promote, support, and encourage the use of aptitude information.

As a small not-for-profit, the Foundation has had the privilege of contributing in a number of different ways to the science of aptitudes. Such contributions include technical manuals, technical reports, refereed journal articles, graduate-level textbook chapters, and professional conference presentations.

The science of The Ball Foundation is continued by:

• Investing in the research and technology that supports the development, understanding, expansion, and platform evolution of the Ball Aptitude Battery® (BAB™).

• Serving as champions for the important role of self-knowledge, particularly aptitudes, in job performance and satisfaction. While aptitude assessment has traditionally been conducted on the employer side for selection services, the Foundation has taken a strong interest in career counseling applications of aptitudes. Specifically, we encourage individuals to equip themselves with knowledge of their own aptitudes in order to make good occupational and educational choices across their lifetimes.

Thus far we have provided a timeline of activities and a rationale for the evolution of the Ball Aptitude Battery. The requisite validation needed for the science of aptitudes can be found here.