Cognitive testing is to affective testing as intelligence is to which trait?

• A. Personality
• B. Mood
• C. Motivation
• D. Memory

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how cognitive abilities relate to stable traits versus affective states. Cognitive testing targets enduring mental abilities like reasoning, problem-solving, and memory, and intelligence is a broad measure of that cognitive capacity. Affective testing, on the other hand, probes emotions, attitudes, and values—dimensions that align with stable, enduring patterns of behavior known as personality. Among the options, personality is the best match to intelligence because both refer to a consistent, long-term aspect of a person: intelligence as a cognitive strength, and personality as a broad, stable trait. Mood is a temporary state, memory is a cognitive function, and motivation is a situational drive, none of which capture the same stable, trait-like quality as personality.