Fluid and crystallized intelligence

In psychology, fluid and crystallized intelligence are (Gf and Gc) factors of general intelligence, which go back to Raymond Cattell. Fluid intelligence or fluid thinking is the ability to think logically and solve problems. Fluid thinking involves inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning.

• 3.1 Training of working memory
• 3.2 Promotion of inductive reasoning

Measurement of fluid intelligence

There are different types of measuring fluid intelligence: the Cattell Culture Fair IQ test, the Raven Progressive Matrices (RPM), and the performance in the WAIS are measurements of Gf. The RPM is one of the most widely used measurements of fluid abilities. He is a non-verbal multiple-choice test.

Fluid versus crystalline

Fluid intelligence includes skills such as problem solving, learning and pattern recognition. It correlates generally with measurement of abstract thinking and the ability to solve puzzles. There is conclusive evidence that underpin the view that Gf is more affected by brain injury.

Crystallized intelligence correlates with abilities that depend on knowledge and experience, such as vocabulary knowledge, general information and analogies. Paul Kline identified a number of factors that have a correlation of min. r = .60 with Gf and Gc share.

Development and physiology

Fluid intelligence has, as well as the reaction time, with a peak in young adulthood and then decreases continuously. This reduction may have something to do with the local atrophy of the right cerebellum. Other researchers have suggested that a lack of exercise, which is associated with age-related changes in the brain. Crystallized intelligence increases gradually, it remains relatively stable during the lifetime and begins to decrease until 65. Working memory is closely linked to fluid intelligence and it was suggested to see it in connection with the individual differences of Gf.

Furthermore, recent research has shown that the practice of cognitive skills can improve working memory and Gf.

Improving fluid intelligence

According to David Geary Gf and Gc can be localized in different brain regions. So involved fluid intelligence the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the cingulate gyrus and other systems that affect the attention and short-term memory. For this reason, an improvement of these basic skills should also have a positive effect on the fluid intelligence. Contrast, crystallized intelligence appears to be a function of the brain that involve memory and the use of long-term memory; AND the hippocampus is affected.

Training of working memory

Susanne M. Jaeggi from the University of Michigan has found in healthy adults, that the practice of demanding puzzles (Dual N-back ), which claim the working memory, at a training time of 25 minutes per day over a period of 8 to 19 days, a statistically significant improvement in the results of a test matrix, which measures fluid intelligence, it should be noted - in comparison with a control group, before and after training.

A regardless of study at the University of Technology (Hangzhou, China) has confirmed Jaeggi's results. After students were subjected to a ten -day training regime - based on the "dual N -back" working memory theory - they delivered in a standard Raven matrices test significantly better results.

Promotion of inductive reasoning

In addition to improving basic cognitive skills and the mediation of strategic behavior seems to have positive effects on fluid intelligence. In particular, the mind training for children and young people and developed in this context newer programs seem to cause a robust improvement. There are now over 100 evaluation studies demonstrate the positive effects on fluid intelligence services and show that academic performance can be improved.

Footnotes

• Intelligence research