fluid intelligence

[ floo-id in-tel-i-juhns ]

noun

1. the capacity to think logically, identify patterns and relationships, and solve new problems, independent of one’s acquired knowledge: Compare crystallized intelligence ( def ).

   This role is full of unpredictable situations and requires a high level of fluid intelligence.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fluid intelligence¹

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

Example Sentences

The study proved effective in improving students' problem-solving abilities, despite covariates including an individual's basic calculation skills, fluid intelligence and reading comprehension scores.

From Science Daily

Study lead Dr Kamen Tsvetanov, an Alzheimer's Society Dementia Research Leader Fellow in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, said: "Our ability to solve abstract problems is a sign of so-called 'fluid intelligence', but as we get older, this ability begins to show significant decline. Some people manage to maintain this ability better than others. We wanted to ask why that was the case -- are they able to recruit other areas of the brain to overcome changes in the brain that would otherwise be detrimental?"

From Science Daily

Biobank cohort and found that more brain iron was “associated with poorer scores on tests of executive function, fluid intelligence, and reaction speed,” the researchers reported in PLoS Medicine.

From Seattle Times

“Early on, we have fluid intelligence, which is kind of raw smarts and focusing ability,” he told The Associated Press.

From Seattle Times

We found that a larger baseline pupil size was correlated with greater fluid intelligence, attention control and, to a lesser degree, working memory capacity—indicating a fascinating relationship between the brain and eye.

From Scientific American