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. 2008;36(5):464-486.
doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2007.10.003.

Contextual analysis of fluid intelligence

Timothy A Salthouse  1 , Jeffrey E Pink, Elliot M Tucker-Drob
Affiliations

Contextual analysis of fluid intelligence

Timothy A Salthouse et al. Intelligence. 2008.

Abstract

The nature of fluid intelligence was investigated by identifying variables that were, and were not, significantly related to this construct. Relevant information was obtained from three sources: re-analyses of data from previous studies, a study in which 791 adults performed storage-plus-processing working memory tasks, and a study in which 236 adults performed a variety of working memory, updating, and cognitive control tasks. The results suggest that fluid intelligence represents a broad individual difference dimension contributing to diverse types of controlled or effortful processing. The analyses also revealed that very few of the age-related effects on the target variables were statistically independent of effects on established cognitive abilities, which suggests most of the age-related influences on a wide variety of cognitive control variables overlap with age-related influences on cognitive abilities such as fluid intelligence, episodic memory, and perceptual speed.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Contextual analysis model to investigate unique influences of age and established cognitive abilities on a simple and a complex target variable. See text for details.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Means and standard errors of z-scores for each reference cognitive variable as a function of decade in Study 1. The data points for the oldest decade are based on between 30 and 40 individuals but all of the other points are based on at least 90 individuals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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