Differentiation hypotheses concern changes in the structural organization of cognitive abilities that depend on the level of general intelligence (ability differentiation) or age (developmental differentiation). Part 1 of this article presents a review of the literature on ability and developmental differentiation effects in children, revealing the need for studies that examine both effects simultaneously in this age group with appropriate statistical methods. Part 2 presents an empirical study in which nonlinear factor analytic models were applied to the standardization sample (N = 2,619 German elementary schoolchildren; 48% female; age: M = 8.8 years, SD = 1.2, range 6-12 years) of the THINK 1-4 intelligence test to investigate ability differentiation, developmental differentiation, and their interaction. The sample was nationally representative regarding age, gender, urbanization, and geographic location of residence but not regarding parents' education and migration background (overrepresentation of children with more educated parents, underrepresentation of children with migration background). The results showed no consistent evidence for the presence of differentiation effects or their interaction. Instead, different patterns were observed for figural, numerical, and verbal reasoning. Implications for the construction of intelligence tests, the assessment of intelligence in children, and for theories of cognitive development are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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儿童的年龄和能力分化：回顾和实证调查。

分化假说涉及认知能力结构组织的变化，这取决于一般智力水平（能力分化）或年龄（发育分化）。本文的第 1 部分回顾了有关儿童能力和发育分化影响的文献，揭示了使用适当的统计方法在这个年龄组中同时检查这两种影响的研究的必要性。第 2 部分介绍了一项实证研究，其中将非线性因子分析模型应用于 THINK 的标准化样本（N = 2,619 德国小学生；48% 为女性；年龄：M = 8.8 岁，SD = 1.2，范围 6-12 岁） 1-4 智力测验，研究能力分化、发展分化及其相互作用。该样本在年龄、性别、城市化和居住地理位置方面具有全国代表性，但在父母的教育和移民背景方面没有代表性（父母受教育程度较高的儿童人数过多，有移民背景的儿童人数不足）。结果显示没有一致的证据表明存在分化效应或其相互作用。相反，在图形、数字和语言推理方面观察到了不同的模式。讨论了构建智力测试、儿童智力评估和认知发展理论的意义。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。教育和移民背景（父母受教育程度较高的儿童人数过多，有移民背景的儿童人数不足）。结果显示没有一致的证据表明存在分化效应或其相互作用。相反，在图形、数字和语言推理方面观察到了不同的模式。讨论了构建智力测试、儿童智力评估和认知发展理论的意义。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。教育和移民背景（父母受教育程度较高的儿童人数过多，有移民背景的儿童人数不足）。结果显示没有一致的证据表明存在分化效应或其相互作用。相反，在图形、数字和语言推理方面观察到了不同的模式。讨论了构建智力测试、儿童智力评估和认知发展理论的意义。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。数字推理和语言推理。讨论了构建智力测试、儿童智力评估和认知发展理论的意义。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。数字推理和语言推理。讨论了构建智力测试、儿童智力评估和认知发展理论的意义。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。