What does the term "intellectual abilities" refer to in IQ testing?

The term "intellectual abilities" in the context of IQ testing primarily refers to cognitive skills such as problem-solving and reasoning. IQ tests are designed to measure a person's cognitive capacity and their capability to understand complex ideas, learn quickly, and adapt to new situations. These abilities provide insights into how effectively someone can think critically, analyze information, and apply logical reasoning to solve problems.

This focus on cognitive skills is key to assessing intelligence, as it captures a range of capabilities that are crucial in academic and everyday problem-solving tasks. Understanding these abilities helps psychologists predict performance in educational and occupational settings. In contrast, other options such as physical coordination, memorized facts, or emotional responses do not accurately represent the constructs measured by IQ tests. Those areas fall under different domains of assessment and do not reflect the cognitive processes that IQ tests aim to evaluate.