Abilities

Abilities are capacities to perform actions, tasks, or motions. They reflect what a person can do at a given time and may be domain-specific or general. Abilities differ from skills, which are demonstrated through learned tasks, and from talents, which denote unusually high aptitude in a domain. Some abilities are innate, others are developed through experience and training, and both genetic and environmental factors influence their expression.

Common domains include physical abilities (strength, endurance, coordination), cognitive abilities (memory, reasoning, problem-solving), perceptual and sensory abilities (vision, hearing, spatial awareness), social and emotional abilities (communication, empathy, self-regulation), and creative or practical abilities (artistry, troubleshooting, hands-on competence). Development occurs across the lifespan via maturation, practice, education, and rehabilitation after injury or illness. Neuroplasticity allows improvements in capacity with training, though aging and health conditions can alter levels of ability.

Assessment of abilities often uses standardized tests, performance tasks, or observational ratings and informs education, employment, and clinical practice. Distinctions between ability and impairment are important for determining accommodations and supports. In technology contexts, "abilities" describe the functional competencies of systems, such as perception, reasoning, or manipulation, and are a focus in fields like artificial intelligence and robotics.