This review of research on Asian American performance on cognitive measures (especially in comparison with the performance of whites) covers studies of intelligence test performance, academic ability, aptitude and achievement, cognitive style, and career paths (as influenced by cognitive abilities) among young children, elementary and secondary school students, applicants for admission to higher education, and college and graduate students since 1960. The review reveals that on intelligence and aptitude tests, Asian Americans have consistently scored higher in mathematics and lower in verbal sections than the United States population as a whole. Studies of cognitive style suggest that Asian Americans lean toward field independence and tend to do better in cognitive analysis and restructuring tasks than in activities that require greater social sensitivity. Examination of career paths indicates that Asian Americans are overrepresented in higher education institutions and in academic fields that require aptitudes for mathematics, spatial conceptualization, and reasoning, but are underrepresented in humanities and the social sciences. The review is said to demonstrate that widely-used, standardized individual and group assessment instruments have provided valid, consistent, and educationally useful information about the mental abilities of Asian Americans. Future directions in assessing academic potential and evaluating achievement among bilingual and limited-English-speaking students are presented. (Author/MJL)