Working memory, executive function, and general fluid intelligence are not the same

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P. Heitz ◽  
Thomas S. Redick ◽  
David Z. Hambrick ◽  
Michael J. Kane ◽  
Andrew R. A. Conway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Good Reason ◽  
Normal Functioning ◽  
Controlled Attention ◽  
The Relationship

Blair equates the constructs of working memory (WM), executive function, and general fluid intelligence (gF). We argue that there is good reason not to equate these constructs. We view WM and gF as separable but highly related, and suggest that the mechanism behind the relationship is controlled attention – an ability that is dependent on normal functioning of the prefrontal cortex.

scholarly journals Fluid Intelligence: Review of Foreign Studies

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.E. Rzhanova ◽  
V.S. Britova ◽  
O.S. Alekseeva ◽  
Yu.A. Burdukova
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Clinical Evidence ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
General Intelligence ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Fluid Reasoning ◽  
The Relationship

The present review focuses on modern research of fluid intelligence. The concept of fluid intelligence, the place of fluid intelligence in the structure of cognitive abilities, its relation to general intelligence is revealed. The current models of fluid intelligence are considered, including the current leading Cattell–Horn–Carroll model. The neurobiological processes underlying the flexibility of fluid reasoning processes in solving novel problems are discussed. In particular, studies are presented showing that fluid intelligence is mediated by subregions of the prefrontal cortex. Studies of the relationship between fluid intelligence and working memory, as well as studies of fluid intelligence in clinical groups such as children with ADHD and adults with schizophrenia are also discussed. Clinical evidence suggests that fluid intelligence may be key to understanding the structure of cognitive deficits in ADHD syndrome.

scholarly journals EXPRESS: Trajectories of verbal fluency and executive functions in multilingual and monolingual children and adults: A cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110267
Author(s):  
Roberto Filippi ◽  
Andrea Ceccolini ◽  
Peter Bright
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Lexical Retrieval ◽  
Cross Sectional

The development of verbal fluency is associated with the maturation of executive function skills, such as the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, shift between tasks and hold information in working memory. Some evidence suggests that multilinguistic upbringing may underpin disadvantages in verbal fluency and lexical retrieval, but can also afford executive function advantages beyond the language system including possible beneficial effects in older age. This study examined the relationship between verbal fluency and executive function in 324 individuals across the lifespan by assessing the developmental trajectories of English monolingual and multilingual children aged 7 to 15 years (N=154) and adults from 18 to 80 years old (N=170). The childhood data indicated patterns of improvement in verbal fluency and executive function skills as a function of age. Multilingual and monolingual children had comparable developmental trajectories in all linguistic and non-linguistic measures used in the study with the exception of planning, for which monolingual children showed a steeper improvement over the studied age range relative to multilingual children. For adults, monolinguals and multilingual participants had comparable performance on all measures with the exception of non-verbal inhibitory control and response times on the Tower of London task: monolinguals showed a steeper decline associated with age. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that verbal fluency was associated with working memory and fluid intelligence in monolingual participants but not in multilinguals. These findings raise the possibility that early acquisition of an additional language may impact on the development of the functional architecture serving high-level human cognition.

scholarly journals Developmental Fractionation of Working Memory and Response Inhibition During Childhood

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Tsujimoto ◽  
Mariko Kuwajima ◽  
Toshiyuki Sawaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Efficient Processing ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. The lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) plays a major role in both working memory (WM) and response inhibition (RI), which are fundamental for various cognitive abilities. We explored the relationship between these LPFC functions during childhood development by examining the performance of two groups of children in visuospatial and auditory WM tasks and a go/no-go RI task. In the younger children (59 5- and 6-year-olds), performance on the visuospatial WM task correlated significantly with that in the auditory WM task. Furthermore, accuracy in these tasks correlated significantly with performance on the RI task, particularly in the no-go trials. In contrast, there were no significant correlations among those tasks in older children (92 8- and 9-year-olds). These results suggest that functional neural systems for visuospatial WM, auditory WM, and RI, especially those in the LPFC, become fractionated during childhood, thereby enabling more efficient processing of these critical cognitive functions.

Understanding the Relationship Between Rationality and Intelligence: A Latent-Variable Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander P. Burgoyne ◽  
Cody Mashburn ◽  
Jason S. Tsukahara ◽  
Zach Hambrick ◽  
Randall W Engle
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Intelligence ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
The Relationship

A hallmark of intelligent behavior is rationality—the disposition and ability to think analytically to make decisions that maximize expected utility or follow the laws of probability, and therefore align with normative principles of decision making. However, the question remains as to whether rationality and intelligence are empirically distinct, as does the question of what cognitive mechanisms underlie individual differences in rationality. In a large sample of participants (N = 331), we used latent variable analyses to assess the relationship between rationality and intelligence. The results indicated that there was a common ability underpinning performance on some, but not all, rationality tests. Latent factors representing rationality and general intelligence were strongly correlated (r = .54), but their correlation fell well short of unity. Indeed, after accounting for variance in performance attributable to general intelligence, rationality measures still cohered on a latent factor. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that rationality correlated significantly with fluid intelligence (r = .56), working memory capacity (r = .44), and attention control (r = .49). Structural equation modeling revealed that attention control fully accounted for the relationship between working memory capacity and rationality, and partially accounted for the relationship between fluid intelligence and rationality. Results are interpreted in light of the executive attention framework, which holds that attention control supports information maintenance and disengagement in service of complex cognition. We conclude by speculating about factors rationality tests may tap that other cognitive ability tests miss, and outline directions for further research.

An fNIRS examination of executive function in bilingual young children

2020 ◽  
pp. 136700692095288
Author(s):  
Sha Xie ◽  
Dandan Wu ◽  
Jinfeng Yang ◽  
Jiutong Luo ◽  
Chunqi Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Group Membership ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Immersion Program ◽  
Prefrontal Region ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Aims: The present study aims to examine: (1) the relationship between young children’s bilingualism and their performance in the Dimensional Card Change Sort (DCCS) task; and (2) whether prefrontal activation was associated with children’s bilingualism and executive function. Methodology: Children performed three sessions of the DCCS and their brain activity during the task was measured using functional nearinfrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Data and analysis: A sample of bilingual children ( N = 49) was recruited from a preschool with an English immersion program. We examined whether children’s performance in the DCCS was related to their bilingualism and whether the changes in oxygenated hemoglobin in the prefrontal regions were related to their bilingualism and performance in the DCCS. Findings/conclusions: Results showed that children’s English ability was significantly correlated with their behavioral performance in DCCS, and predicted children’s group membership (pass or perseverate). Furthermore, children in the pass group significantly activated the prefrontal cortex than those in the perseverate group, and activation in the prefrontal region was significantly correlated with children’s English ability. Originality: The current study first examined the effect of children’s bilingualism on their executive function and prefrontal activation.

scholarly journals Working memory capacity mediates the relationship between removal and fluid intelligence

2018 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 18-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishneil A. Singh ◽  
Gilles E. Gignac ◽  
Christopher R. Brydges ◽  
Ullrich K.H. Ecker
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
The Relationship

Can We Improve Fluid Intelligence With Training on Working Memory in Persons With Intellectual Disabilities?

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter J. Perrig ◽  
Marco Hollenstein ◽  
Stephan Oelhafen
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Far Transfer ◽  
Hereditary Component ◽  
Remedial Intervention ◽  
Intellectual Deficiencies ◽  
The Relationship

Fluid intelligence is considered as the ability to reason and to solve problems that influence learning in everyday life in both professional and educational settings. Therefore, a possibility to improve this faculty in persons with intellectual disabilities would be of highest interest for education. However, still being debated, many scientist as well as practitioners will agree that it is extremely difficult for these persons to go beyond a certain level of reasoning and to improve their intellectual functioning. This goes together with the consideration of fluid intelligence as a trait with a strong hereditary component that is rather immune to training. Nevertheless, we present in this article the theoretical rationale for successful working memory training as a processual training and as a remedial intervention tool for persons with intellectual deficiencies. This rationale is based on a review of the research on the relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence and the research on far transfer effects in nontrained tasks after training in populations with varying mental capacity. Features and constraints of the training tasks are described that are considered mandatory for a working memory training to be efficient.

scholarly journals Exploring the Inner Workings of Neuron Circuits That Exhibit Persistent Activity To Explain How Working Memory and Executive Function Are Implemented in The Brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Persistent Activity ◽  
Storage Mechanism ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Task Processing ◽  
The Brain

In this research we explore in detail how a phenomenon called sustained persistent activity is achieved by circuits of interconnected neurons. Persistent activity is a phenomenon that has been extensively studied (Papoutsi et al. 2013; Kaminski et. al. 2017; McCormick et al. 2003; Rahman, and Berger, 2011). Persistent activity consists in neuron circuits whose spiking activity remains even after the initial stimuli are removed. Persistent activity has been found in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and has been correlated to working memory and decision making (Clayton E. Curtis and Daeyeol Lee, 2010). We go beyond the explanation of how persistent activity happens and show how arrangements of those basic circuits encode and store data and are used to perform more elaborated tasks and computations. The purpose of the model we propose here is to describe the minimum number of neurons and their interconnections required to explain persistent activity and how this phenomenon is actually a fast storage mechanism required for implementing working memory, task processing and decision making.

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