Successful Learning: Relationship Between Fluid Intelligence and Working Memory

1036

Abstract

The article provides an overview of modern works devoted to the study of the relationship between fluid intelligence and working memory. Recently, the world of psychological science has been actively discussing the topic of fluid intelligence and its impact on the academic achievements in childhood. One of the main cognitive characteristics most clearly associated with fluid intelligence is working memory. Working memory is a complex integrative function, in the implementation of which short-term and long-term memory, as well as executive control of attention, are involved. Until now, the debatable question remains, which of the components of working memory is most closely related to fluid intelligence. A number of studies conclude that the role of short-term memory is predominant, while in others executive control is called the most important component. A special place in the study of the relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence is occupied by scientific works which raise the question of the possibilities of improvement of fluid intelligence using working memory training series. In a number of training experiments, it was possible to obtain an improvement in the participants' fluid intelligence indicators after a series of working memory trainings.

General Information

Keywords: fluid intelligence, working memory, short-term memory, training on cognitive functions

Journal rubric: Developmental Psychology

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/pse.2020250106

Funding. This work was supported by grant RFBR № 18-013-01179.

For citation: Rzhanova I.E., Alekseeva O.S., Burdukova Y.A. Successful Learning: Relationship Between Fluid Intelligence and Working Memory. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychological Science and Education, 2020. Vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 63–74. DOI: 10.17759/pse.2020250106. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

  1. Biryukov S.D., Xodakova E.Yu. Flyuidnyj intellekt kak prediktor uspeshnosti obucheniya [Fluid Intelligence as Predictor of Academic Success]. In A.N. Voronin (Ed.), Intellekt i tvorchestvo: Sbornik nauchnyx trudov [Intelligence and creativity: collection of scientific papers]. Moscow: Institut psixologii RAN, 1999, pp. 66—78.
  2. Burdukova Yu.A., Alekseeva O.S., Chizhova B.A., Shcheglova A.V. Svyaz’ verbal’noy pamyati I prostranstvennoy rabochey pamyati s intellectom u detey 10—11 let [Elektronnyi resurs] [Relationships among Verbal Memory, Spatial Working Memory and Intelligence in Children of 10—11 years]. Psichologo-pedagogicheskie issledovaniya [ Psychological-Educational Studies], 2017. Vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 43—50. doi:10.17759/psyedu.2017090405. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.).
  3. Rzhanova I.E., Alekseeva O.S., Fominyx A.Ya., Parshikova O.V. Indeks rabochej pamyati kak odin iz osnovnyx pokazatelej testa Vekslera dlya doshkol’nikov [Electronic resource] [Working memory index as one of the main scale of Wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence — fourth edition]. Psixologicheskie issledovaniya [Psychological Studies], 2018a. Vol. 11, no. 57, pp. 8. URL: http://psystudy.ru/index.php/num/2018v11n57/1529-rzhanova57.html (data obrashheniya: 23.12.2018) (In Russ., Abstr. in Engl.).
  4. Lyytinen H. Correctsiya dislexii u detey s primeneniem comp’uternoy igri GraphoGame [Helping Dyslexic Children with GraphoGame Digital Game-Based Training Tool (An Interview)]. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie [ Psychological Science and Education], 2018. Vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 84—86. doi:10.17759/pse.2018230308. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)
  5. Rzhanova I.E., Britova V.S., Alekseeva O.S., Burdukova Yu.A. Flyuidnyi intellekt: obzor zarubezhnyx issledovanij [Electronic resource] [Fluid Intelligence: Review of Foreign Studies]. Klinicheskaya i special’naya psixologiya [Clinical Psychology and Special Education], 2018b. Vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 19—43. doi:10.17759/cpse.2018070402 (In Russ., Abstr. in Engl.).
  6. Alloway T.P., Gathercole S.E., Willis C., Adams A.M. A structural analysis of working memory and related cognitive skills in young children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2004, no. 87, pp. 85—106.
  7. Baddeley A.D., Hitch G.J. Working Memory. In G. Bower (Ed.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1974. Vol. 8, pp. 47—90. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0079-7421(08)60452-1
  8. Bayliss D.M., Jarrold C., Baddeley A.D., Gunn D.M., Leigh E. Mapping the developmental constraints onworking memory span performance. Developmental Psychology, 2005. Vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 579—597.
  9. Blair C. How similar are fluid cognition and general intelligence? A developmental neuroscience perspective on fluid cognition as an aspect of human cognitive ability. Behavioral Brain Science, 2006. Vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 109—125. doi: 10.1017/S01405 25X06009034
  10. Cattell R.B. Intelligence: Its structure, growth and action. New York: Elsevier, 1987. 693 p.
  11. Chein J.M., Morrison A.B. Expanding the mind’s workspace: Training and transfer effects with a complex working memory span task. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 2010, no. 17, pp. 193—199.
  12. Cochrane A., Simmering V., Green C.S. Fluid intelligence is related to capacity in memory as well as attention: Evidence from middle childhood and adulthood. PloS one, 2019, Vol. 14, no. 8., P. e0221353.
  13. Colom R. et al. Working memory and intelligence are highly related constructs, but why? Intelligence, 2008. Vol. 36, no. 6, pp. 584—606. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2008.01.002
  14. Conway A.R. et al. A latent variable analysis of working memory capacity, shortterm memory capacity, processing speed, and general fluid intelligence Intelligence, 2002. Vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 163—183. doi:10.1016/S0160-2896(01)00096-4
  15. Cowan N. et al. On the capacity of attention: Its estimation and its role in working memory and cognitive aptitudes. Cognitive Psychology, 2005. Vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 42—100. doi:10.1016/j.cogpsych.2004.12.001
  16. Dahlin K.I.E. Working memory training and the effect on mathematical achievement in children with attention deficits and special needs. Journal of Education and Learning, 2013. Vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 118—133. doi:10.5539/jel.v2n1p118
  17. Dempster F.N. Memory span: sources of individual and developmental differences. Psychological Bulletin, 1981, no. 89, pp. 63—100.
  18. Detterman D.K., Sternberg R.J. How and How Much Can Intelligence Be Increased? Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1982.
  19. Engel de Abreu P.M., Conway A.R., Gathercole S.E. Working memory and fluid intelligence in young children. Intelligence, 2010. Vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 552—561. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2010.07.003
  20. Engle R.W. Role of working memory capacity in cognitive control. Current Anthropology, 2010, no. 51, pp. 1.
  21. Engle R.W. Working memory capacity as executive attention. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2002. Vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 19—23. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00160
  22. Engle R.W et al. Working memory, short-term memory, and general fluid intelligence: A latent variable approach. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1999. Vol. 128, no. 3, pp. 309—331. doi:10.1037/0096-3445.128.3.309
  23. Fry A.F., Hale S. Relationships among processing speed, working memory, and fluid intelligence in children. Biological Psychology, 2000. Vol. 54, no. 1—3, pp. 1—34.
  24. Gottfredson L.S. Why g matters: The complexity of everyday life. Intelligence, 1997. Vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 79—132.
  25. Gray J.R., Chabris C.F., Braver T.S. Neural mechanisms of general fluid intelligence. Natural Neuroscience, 2003. Vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 316—322. doi:10.1038/nn1014
  26. Gray S.A. et al. Effects of a computerized working memory training program on working memory, attention, and academics in adolescents with severe LD and comorbid ADHD; a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2012. Vol. 53, no. 12, pp. 1277—1284. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02592.x
  27. Green A.E. et al. Frontopolar cortex mediates abstract integration in analogy. Brain Research, 2006. Vol. 1096, no. 1, pp. 125—137. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.04.024
  28. Holmes J., Gathercole S.E., Dunning D. Adaptative training leads to sustained enhancement of poor working memory in children. Developmental Science, 2009, no. 12, pp. 1—7. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00848.x.
  29. Hornung C., Brunner M., Reuter R., Martin R. Children’s working memory: Its structure and relationship to fluid intelligence. Intelligence, 2011, no. 39, pp. 210—221.
  30. Jaeggi S.M., Buschkuehl M., Jonides J., Perrig W.J. Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008. Vol. 105, no. 19, pp. 6829—6833.
  31. Jaeggi S.M., Buschkuehl M., Jonides J., Shah P. Short- and long-term benefits of cognitive training. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011, no. 108, pp. 10081—10086.
  32. Kane M.J. et al. The generality of working memory capacity: A latentvariable approach to verbal and visuospatial memory span and reasoning. Journal of Experimental Psychology. General, 2004. Vol. 133, no. 2, pp. 189—217. doi: 10.1037/0096-3445.133.2.189
  33. Klingberg T., Forssberg H., Westerberg H. Training of working memory in children with ADHD. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 2002, no. 24, pp. 781—791. doi:10.1076/jcen.24.6.781.8395
  34. Kramer A.F., Willis S.L. Enhancing the cognitive vitality of older adults. Current Directions of Psychological Science, 2002, no. 11, pp. 173—177.
  35. Kyllonen P.C., Christal R.E. Reasoning ability is (little more than) working-memory capacity?! Intelligence, 1990. Vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 389—433. doi:10.1016/S0160-2896(05)80012-1
  36. Linares R., Borella E., Lechuga M.T., Carretti B., Pelegrina S. Training working memory updating in young adults. Psychological research, 2018. Vol. 82, no 3, pp. 535—548.
  37. Meiran N., Dreisbach G., von Bastian C.C. Mechanisms of working memory training: Insights from individual differences. Intelligence, 2019. Vol. 73, pp. 78—87.
  38. Nisbett R.E. et al. Intelligence. New Findings and Theoretical Developments. American Psychologist, 2012. Vol. 67, no. 2, pp. 130—159. doi:10.1037/a0026699
  39. Otero T.M. Brief review of fluid reasoning: Conceptualization, neurobasis, and applications. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 2017. Vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 240—211. doi: 10.1080/21622965.2017.1317484
  40. Raven J.C., Court J.H., Raven J. Manual for Raven’s Progressive Matrices and Vocabulary Scales.vLondon: Lewis, 1983.
  41. Redick T.S. et al. What’s working in working memory training? An educational perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 2015. Vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 617—633. doi:10.1007/s10802-010-9387-0.
  42. Rogers M. et al. Inattention, working memory, and academic achievement in adolescents referred for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Child Neuropsychology, 2011. Vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 444—458. doi:10.1080/09297049.2010.544648
  43. Sala G., Gobet F. Cognitive training does not enhance general cognition. Trends in cognitive sciences, 2018.
  44. Schmiedek F., Lovden M., Lindenberger U. Hundred days of cognitive training enhance broad abilities in adulthood: Findings from the COGITO study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2010, no. 2, pp. 1—10. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2010.00027
  45. Schroeders U., Schipolowski S., Zettler I., Golle J., Wilhelme O. Do the smart get smarter? Development of fluid and crystallized intelligence in 3rd grade. Intelligence, 2016, no. 59, pp. 84—95.
  46. Siegel L.S. Working memory and reading: a lifespan perspective. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 1994, no. 17, pp. 109—124.
  47. Sternberg R.J. Increasing fluid intelligence is possible after all. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008. Vol. 105, no. 19, pp. 6791—6792.
  48. Swanson H.L. Working memory and intelligence in children: What develops? Journal of Educational Psychology, 2008. Vol. 100, no. 3, pp. 581—602.
  49. Swanson H.L., McMurran M. The impact of working memory training on near and far transfer measures: Is it all about fluid intelligence? Child Neuropsychology, 2018. Vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 370—395.
  50. Tillman C.M., Nyberg L., Bohlin G. Working memory components and intelligence in children. Intelligence, 2008. Vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 394—402.

Information About the Authors

Irina E. Rzhanova, Research Fellow, Psychological Institute of the Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8100-8917, e-mail: irinarzhanova@mail.ru

Olga S. Alekseeva, Research Fellow, Psychological Institute of the Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0794-2327, e-mail: olga__alexeeva@mail.ru

Yulia A. Burdukova, PhD in Psychology, Assistant Professor? chair of Differential Psychology and Psychophysiology, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4827-2040, e-mail: julia_burd@inbox.ru

Metrics

Views

Total: 2040
Previous month: 22
Current month: 14

Downloads

Total: 1036
Previous month: 3
Current month: 4