ABILITY, is a general term used to refer to any characteristic of a person that makes it possible for him to carry out some sort of activity successfully. The term covers broad trails such as intelligence as well as narrow traits such as manual dexterity. It refers to learned skills such as reading proficiency as well as to talents or aptitudes presumed to exist prior to learning. Psychologists have worked out tests for measuring many different abilities. When any of these tests is administered to a group of persons, individual differences become apparent.

能力，是泛指一个人可能使他成功地进行某种活动的任何特征的通称。该词涵盖了如智力这样广泛的范围，也涉及像动手能力这样具体的领域。它既指的是学会的技能，如阅读能力，也指假定存在于学习之前的才能或天赋。心理学家已制定出衡量许多不同能力的测试方法。当对一组人群进行任何这类测试时，个体的差异就会显而易见。

   Abilities are determined in complex ways. Heredity always plays a part, but practice and training usually seem to be involved as well. The structure and condition of various parts of the body help to determine the level of functioning of some abilities, but mental qualities are even more important. For example, an individual’s brain is more influential than his eye muscles in determining his level of reading ability. Up to some usually unattained physiological limit, any ability can be increased through training.

能力是由复杂的方式决定的。遗传总是起着一定的作用，但通常似乎也涉及到实践和训练。身体各部分的结构和条件会帮助决定某些能力机能的水平，但心理素质甚至更为重要。例如，一个人的大脑相比其眼睛肌肉在决定他的阅读能力中更具影响力。在达到某些通常无法达到的生理极限上，任何能力都可以通过训练获得提高。

                                             LEONA TYLER, University of Oregon

                                               利昂娜·泰勒，俄勒冈大学

                                                         2022年7月2日译

（译者注：该词条位列《大美百科全书》1985年版，第1卷，第40页。