Effect of Instructions on Elementary Cognitive Tasks Sensitive to Individual Differences

1990 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas K. Detterman ◽  
Charlotte G. Andrist
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Elementary Cognitive Tasks

scholarly journals Binding Costs in Processing Efficiency as Determinants of Cognitive Ability

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Benjamin Goecke ◽  
Florian Schmitz ◽  
Oliver Wilhelm
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Elementary Cognitive Tasks

Performance in elementary cognitive tasks is moderately correlated with fluid intelligence and working memory capacity. These correlations are higher for more complex tasks, presumably due to increased demands on working memory capacity. In accordance with the binding hypothesis, which states that working memory capacity reflects the limit of a person’s ability to establish and maintain temporary bindings (e.g., relations between items or relations between items and their context), we manipulated binding requirements (i.e., 2, 4, and 6 relations) in three choice reaction time paradigms (i.e., two comparison tasks, two change detection tasks, and two substitution tasks) measuring mental speed. Response time distributions of 115 participants were analyzed with the diffusion model. Higher binding requirements resulted in generally reduced efficiency of information processing, as indicated by lower drift rates. Additionally, we fitted bi-factor confirmatory factor analysis to the elementary cognitive tasks to separate basal speed and binding requirements of the employed tasks to quantify their specific contributions to working memory capacity, as measured by Recall−1-Back tasks. A latent factor capturing individual differences in binding was incrementally predictive of working memory capacity, over and above a general factor capturing speed. These results indicate that the relation between reaction time tasks and working memory capacity hinges on the complexity of the reaction time tasks. We conclude that binding requirements and, therefore, demands on working memory capacity offer a satisfactory account of task complexity that accounts for a large portion of individual differences in ability.

scholarly journals Binding Costs in Processing Efficiency as Determinants of Cognitive Ability

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Goecke ◽  
Florian Schmitz ◽  
Oliver Wilhelm
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Elementary Cognitive Tasks

Performance in elementary cognitive tasks is moderately correlated with fluid intelligence and working memory capacity. These correlations are higher for more complex tasks, presumably due to increased demands on working memory capacity. In accordance with the binding hypothesis, which states that working memory capacity reflects the limit of a person’s ability to establish and maintain temporary bindings (e.g., relations between items or relations between items and their context), we manipulated binding requirements (i.e., 2, 4, and 6 relations) in three choice reaction time paradigms (i.e., two comparison tasks, two change-detection tasks, and two substitution tasks) measuring mental speed. Response time distributions of N = 115 participants were analyzed with the diffusion model. Higher binding requirements resulted in generally reduced efficiency of information processing, as indicated by lower drift rates. Additionally, we fitted bi-factor confirmatory factor analysis to the elementary cognitive tasks to separate basal speed and binding requirements of the employed tasks to quantify their specific contributions to working memory capacity, as measured by Recall-1-Back tasks. A latent factor capturing individual differences in binding was incrementally predictive of working memory capacity, over and above a general factor capturing speed. These results indicate that the theory-driven task complexity manipulation in terms of binding requirements moderated the relation of mental speed tasks with cognitive ability in the predicted way. We conclude that binding requirements and, therefore, demands on working memory capacity offer a satisfactory account of task complexity that accounts for a large portion of individual differences in ability.

The Effect of Retest Practice on the Speed-Ability Relationship

2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sybille Rockstroh ◽  
Karl Schweizer
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
General Intelligence ◽  
Attention Switching ◽  
Letter Comparison ◽  
Sternberg Paradigm ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Elementary Cognitive Tasks

Effects of four retest-practice sessions separated by 2 h intervals on the relationship between general intelligence and four reaction time tasks (two memory tests: Sternberg's memory scanning, Posner's letter comparison; and two attention tests: continuous attention, attention switching) were examined in a sample of 83 male participants. Reaction times on all tasks were shortened significantly. The effects were most pronounced with respect to the Posner paradigm and smallest with respect to the Sternberg paradigm. The relationship to general intelligence changed after practice for two reaction time tasks. It increased to significance for continuous attention and decreased for the Posner paradigm. These results indicate that the relationship between psychometric intelligence and elementary cognitive tasks depends on the ability of skill acquisition. In the search for the cognitive roots of intelligence the concept of learning seems to be of importance.

Movies About Intelligence

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Flynn
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Strong Tendency ◽  
General Intelligence ◽  
Nature Versus Nurture ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Trends Over Time ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Iq Tests

There is a strong tendency for the same people to do better or worse on a wide variety of IQ tests. On this basis, some psychologists posit the concept of g, or a general intelligence factor. Does g show that performance on a wide range of cognitive tasks is influenced by individual differences in brain quality? It may, but if so, g lacks a sociological dimension and cannot explain cognitive trends over time or assess their significance. It also encourages a paradox about nature versus nurture and oversimplifies the causes of the Black-White IQ gap.

scholarly journals Making Cognitive Latent Variables Manifest: Distinct Neural Networks for Fluid Reasoning and Processing Speed

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1249-1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Habeck ◽  
Jason Steffener ◽  
Daniel Barulli ◽  
Yunglin Gazes ◽  
Qolamreza Razlighi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Latent Variables ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Fluid Reasoning

Cognitive psychologists posit several specific cognitive abilities that are measured with sets of cognitive tasks. Tasks that purportedly tap a specific underlying cognitive ability are strongly correlated with one another, whereas performances on tasks that tap different cognitive abilities are less strongly correlated. For these reasons, latent variables are often considered optimal for describing individual differences in cognitive abilities. Although latent variables cannot be directly observed, all cognitive tasks representing a specific latent ability should have a common neural underpinning. Here, we show that cognitive tasks representing one ability (i.e., either perceptual speed or fluid reasoning) had a neural activation pattern distinct from that of tasks in the other ability. One hundred six participants between the ages of 20 and 77 years were imaged in an fMRI scanner while performing six cognitive tasks, three representing each cognitive ability. Consistent with prior research, behavioral performance on these six tasks clustered into the two abilities based on their patterns of individual differences and tasks postulated to represent one ability showed higher similarity across individuals than tasks postulated to represent a different ability. This finding was extended in the current report to the spatial resemblance of the task-related activation patterns: The topographic similarity of the mean activation maps for tasks postulated to reflect the same reference ability was higher than for tasks postulated to reflect a different reference ability. Furthermore, for any task pairing, behavioral and topographic similarities of underlying activation patterns are strongly linked. These findings suggest that differences in the strengths of correlations between various cognitive tasks may be because of the degree of overlap in the neural structures that are active when the tasks are being performed. Thus, the latent variable postulated to account for correlations at a behavioral level may reflect topographic similarities in the neural activation across different brain regions.

Individual Differences in Reported Visual Imagery and Cognitive Performance

1978 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 451-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart J. McKelvie ◽  
Mary M. Rohrberg
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Visual Imagery ◽  
Visual Space ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Visual Images ◽  
Abstract Reasoning ◽  
Numerical Ability ◽  
And Control

Selected on the basis of their scores on the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, 16 High Visualizers and 14 Low Visualizers (equally divided by sex) completed various cognitive tasks thought to involve visual (Space Relations, Watch Rotation) and non-visual (Verbal Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, Numerical Ability) processes. Although Low Visualizers (particularly males) were superior to High Visualizers in Numerical Ability, both groups performed equally well on the other tests. Since correlational analyses indicated that scores on the vividness questionnaire and the Gordon Controllability of Imagery Questionnaire were not independent, particularly for females, it was suggested that questionnaires ought to be developed better to differentiate the abilities to generate and control visual images.

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