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The search for a profile of aptitudes that characterize dentists
Author(s) -
Simon JF,
Chambers DW
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1930-7837
pISSN - 0022-0337
DOI - 10.1002/j.0022-0337.1992.56.5.tb02640.x
Subject(s) - aptitude , counterintuitive , conceptualization , reinterpretation , norm (philosophy) , psychology , medical education , applied psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , computer science , developmental psychology , artificial intelligence , philosophy , physics , epistemology , acoustics , political science , law
This article is a reinterpretation of an unsuccessful attempt to develop a standard battery of aptitude measures to distinguish practicing dentists. Of 22 potential predictors used by a firm specializing in aptitude testing and career counseling, the national sample of 116 dentists tested showed few differences from the norm group, and some differences were counterintuitive. For example dentists performed no better than the norm on spatial visualization and worse than the norm on several measures of language skill and on finger dexterity. Based on these findings, this paper argues that a broad conceptualization is required when attempting to characterize the aptitudes necessary to complete dental education and to maintain a dental practice. The apparent inconsistency between these findings and successful prediction of performance in laboratory courses using available admissions instruments is explained.