Relations between Running Memory and Fluid Intelligence

A total of 1,734 adults performed two running memory tasks and a battery of cognitive tests representing four cognitive abilities. Simultaneous analyses were used to identify unique relations of each cognitive ability, including fluid intelligence, on the running memory measures. The large sample size allowed powerful analyses of the relations at the level of individual trials, separate list lengths, and different serial positions. The results indicated that the relations of running memory performance with cognitive abilities were remarkably constant from the first to the last trial, across different list lengths, and on successive input positions. It is proposed that an important aspect of fluid intelligence is the ability to cope with novelty and complexity, and that running memory tasks may merely be one of many ways in which those processes can be operationalized.