Intelligence and video games: beyond “brain-games”

Video games are among the most popular leisure activities in current Western societies. Psychology research has shown correlations, at the latent level, between intelligence and video games ranging from 0.60 to 0.93. Here we analyze whether video games genre can account for this range of correlations by testing one hundred and thirty-four participants playing ten video games of different genres for iPad® and WiiU® (Art of Balance®, Blek, Crazy Pool, EDGE®, Hook, Rail Maze, SkyJump, Space Invaders, Splatoon® and Unpossible) within a controlled playing environment. Gaming performance was correlated with standard measures of fluid reasoning, visuospatial ability, and processing speed. Results revealed a correlation value of 0.79 between latent factors representing general intelligence (g) and video games general performance (gVG). This finding leads to conclude that: (1) performance intelligence tests and video games is supported by shared cognitive processes and (2) brain-games are not the only genre able to produce performance measures comparable to intelligence standardized tests. From a theoretical perspective, the observed result supports the principle of the indifference of the indicator that has been addressed in intelligence research across decade

Time-lagged associations between cognitive and cortical development from childhood to early adulthood

Throughout childhood and adolescence, humans experience marked changes in cortical structure and cognitive ability. Cortical thickness and surface area, in particular, have been associated with cognitive ability. Here we ask the question: What are the time related associations between cognitive changes and cortical structure maturation. Identifying a developmental sequence requires multiple measurements of these variables from the same individuals across time. This allows capturing relations among the variables and, thus, finding whether: (a) developmental cognitive changes follow cortical structure maturation, (b) cortical structure maturation follows cognitive changes, or (c) both processes influence each other over time. 430 children and adolescents (age range = 6.01 22.28 years) completed the WASI battery and were MRI scanned at three time points separated by ≈ 2 years (mean age t1 = 10.60, SD = 3.58, mean age t2=12.63, SD=3.62, mean age t3=14.49, SD=3.55). Latent Change Score (LCS) models were applied to quantify age related relationships among the variables of interest. Our results indicate that cortical and cognitive changes related to each other reciprocally. Specifically, the magnitude or rate of the change in each variable at any occasion and not the previous level was predictive of later changes. These results were replicated for brain regions selected according to the coordinates identified in the Basten et al.’s (2015) meta analysis, to the Parieto Frontal Integration Theory (P FIT, Jung & Haier, 2007) and to the whole cortex. Potential implications regarding brain plasticity and cognitive enhancement are discusse

Generational intelligence tests score changes in Spain: are we asking the right question?

Generational intelligence test score gains have been documented worldwide in the twentieth century. However, recent evidence suggests these increased scores are coming to an end in some world regions. Here we compare two cohorts of university freshmen. The first cohort (n = 311) was assessed in 1991, whereas the second cohort (n = 349) was assessed thirty years later (2022). These cohorts completed the same intelligence battery including eight standardized speeded and power tests tapping reasoning (abstract and quantitative), language (vocabulary, verbal comprehension, and verbal meanings), rote calculation, and visuospatial relations. The results revealed a global gain of 3.5 IQ points but also upward and downward changes at the test level. The 2022 cohort outperformed the 1991 cohort on reasoning (abstract and quantitative), verbal comprehension, and vocabulary, whereas the 1991 cohort outscored the 2022 cohort on rote calculation, visuospatial relations (mental rotation and identical figures), and verbal meanings. These findings are thought to support one key claim made by James Flynn: generational changes on the specific cognitive abilities and skills tapped by standardized tests should be expected without appreciable or substantive changes in the structure of the intelligence construct identified within generations. This main conclusion is discussed with respect to theoretical causal implications putatively derived from current intelligence psychometric model

Brain-intelligence relationships across childhood and adolescence: a latent-variable approach

The analysis of the relationships between cortical and intellectual development is a complex matter. Greater brain plasticity in brighter individuals has been suggested, but the associations between developmental cortical changes and variations in the general factor of intelligence (g) across time at the latent level have not been addressed. For filling this gap, here we relate longitudinal changes in g with developmental changes in cortical thickness and cortical surface area. One hundred and thirty-two children and adolescents representative of the population from the Pediatric MRI Data Repository completed the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence in three time points and MRI scans were also obtained (mean inter-registration interval » 2 yrs., age range = 6.1 to 21.3 yrs.). Longitudinal latent variable analyses revealed an increase in g scores amounting to a full standard deviation on average. Intelligence differences estimated at the latent level were significantly correlated related with cortical changes. Older individuals showed greater decrease in cortical values along with smaller increase in intelligence. Furthermore, thickness preservation in brighter individuals was observed at early adolescence (10-14 years

Cognitive and Neural Architecture of Decision Making Competence

Although cognitive neuroscience has made remarkable progress in understanding the neural foundations of goal-directed behavior and decision making, neuroscience research on decision making competence, the capacity to resist biases in human judgment and decision making, remain to be established. Here, we investigated the cognitive and neural mechanisms of decision making competence in 283 healthy young adults. We administered the Adult Decision Making Competence battery to assess the respondent’s capacity to resist standard biases in decision making, including: (1) resistance to framing, (2) recognizing social norms, (3) over/under confidence, (4) applying decision rules, (5) consistency in risk perception, and (6) resistance to sunk costs. Decision making competence was assessed in relation to core facets of intelligence, including measures of crystallized intelligence (Shipley Vocabulary), fluid intelligence (Figure Series), and logical reasoning (LSAT). Structural equation modeling was applied to examine the relationship(s) between each cognitive domain, followed by an investigation of their association with individual differences in cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and cortical gray matter volume as measured by high-resolution structural MRI. The results suggest that: (i) decision making competence is associated with cognitive operations for logical reasoning, and (ii) these convergent processes are associated with individual differences within cortical regions that are widely implicated in cognitive control (left dACC) and social decision making (right superior temporal sulcus; STS). Our findings motivate an integrative framework for understanding the neural mechanisms of decision making competence, suggesting that individual differences in the cortical surface area of left dACC and right STS are associated with the capacity to overcome decision biases and exhibit competence in decision makingThe work was supported by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), through Contract 2014-13121700004 with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (PI: Barbey). Francisco J. Román and Roberto Colom are also supported by Grant PSI2017-82218-P (Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, Spain

Indicadores de calidad de la producción en la Web of Science de diez profesores del área de personalidad, evaluación y tratamiento psicológico: aportaciones adicionales al estudio de Olivas-Ávila y Musi-Lechuga

Web of Science production quality indicators of ten professors" at the Area of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment: Additional contributions to Olivas-Ávila y Musi-Lechuga study. Rankings of scientifi c productivity are increasingly relevant both from an individual and a collective perspective. Therefore, making sure they are based on reliable and exhaustive information is really important. This study clearly shows that available rankings change dramatically when internationally acknowledged bibliometric indices are considered. Data from the 10 Professors belonging to the Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment" Department considered in the recent analysis by Olivas-Ávila y Musi-Lechuga (Psicothema 2010. Vol. 22, nº 4, pp. 909-916) are revisited here for illustrative purposes

Brain resilience across the general cognitive ability distribution: Evidence from structural connectivity

Resting state functional connectivity research has shown that general cognitive ability (GCA) is associated with brain resilience to targeted and random attacks (TAs and RAs). However, it remains to be seen if the finding generalizes to structural connectivity. Furthermore, individuals showing performance levels at the very high area of the GCA distribution have not yet been analyzed in this regard. Here we study the relation between TAs and RAs to structural brain networks and GCA. Structural and diffusion-weighted MRI brain images were collected from 189 participants: 60 high cognitive ability (HCA) and 129 average cognitive ability (ACA) individuals. All participants completed a standardized fluid reasoning ability test and the results revealed an average HCA-ACA difference equivalent to 33 IQ points. Automated parcellation of cortical and subcortical nodes was combined with tractography to achieve an 82x82 connectivity matrix for each subject. Graph metrics were derived from the structural connectivity matrices. A simulation approach was used to evaluate the effects of recursively removing nodes according to their network centrality (TAs) versus eliminating nodes at random (RAs). HCA individuals showed greater network integrity at baseline and prior to network collapse than ACA individuals. These effects were more evident for TAs than RAs. The networks of HCA individuals were less degraded by the removal of nodes corresponding to more complex information processing stages of the PFIT network, and from removing nodes with larger empirically observed centrality values. Analyzed network features suggest quantitative instead of qualitative differences at different levels of the cognitive ability distributionThe study reported here was supported by research project ‘PSI2017-82218-P’ funded by ‘Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad’ (Spain