Aptitude

Aptitude is an innate ability to perform an activity or task. It is, in essence, the predisposition everyone comes into the world with to do well in certain areas and perhaps not so well in others. This ability supersedes environmental influences; people are born with a certain aptitude for particular domains, such as music, artistic expression, language, and so forth. Aptitude also refers to a generalized ability to learn; the environment may contribute to the manifestation of this ability, but it is not responsible for instilling it, if it was not present at birth. This entry provides an overview of the development of aptitude across the lifespan, distinctions between aptitude, intelligence, and achievement, and issues surrounding measuring aptitude.