Wiggins discussed mental dispositions in performance contexts. He
explained that a higher-order habit was an intelligent proneness in an
inherently ambiguous situation. This "proneness" or "habit" needed to be
assessed numerous times in various contexts. In other words, in order to
assess a mental habit such as "persistence", one would need to observe
evidence of persistence in a student over time in numerous open-ended
situations. Also, Wiggins viewed the word "habit" as suggestive of what
assessment needs to be if educators are concerned with students' thoughtful
and effective understanding. The necessity of multiple observations in