crystallized intelligence

[ kris-tl-ahyzd in-tel-i-juhns ]

noun

1. the ability to use one’s accumulated skills, varieties of knowledge, and experience to make informed decisions: Compare fluid intelligence ( def ).

   Crystallized intelligence peaks in later life, as new experiences tend to expand one's store of knowledge.

Word History and Origins

Origin of crystallized intelligence¹

Coined in 1963 by British-American psychologist Raymond Bernard Cattell ( 1905–1998 )

Example Sentences

In applied science, crystallized intelligence, gained through experience, appears to be even more vital: Nobel-worthy breakthroughs in medicine arrived a bit later, at age 40, on average.

From New York Times

But domain-specific expertise-- the dark matter of intelligence-- is not identical to either fluid or crystallized intelligence.

From Scientific American

We have fluid intelligence—that’s our ability to think quickly, solve new problems, and identify patterns—but we also have what psychologists call crystallized intelligence, which reflects our learned knowledge and ability to relate to our surroundings.

From Scientific American

Fluid intelligence follows a developmental trajectory, reaching a peak in early adulthood and decreasing with age, whereas crystallized intelligence increases slowly and asymptotically as you age until fairly late in life.

From Salon

Psychologists since the 1930s distinguish between fluid intelligence, which uses reasoning and pattern recognition in new situations to solve new problems, without depending on previous knowledge, and crystallized intelligence, which depends on previous knowledge and is what the standard IQ tests measure.

From Salon