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Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
Published on: January 23, 2017
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Processing speed and executive attention as causes of intelligence
Cody A Mashburn1, Mariel K Barnett2, Randall W Engle1
1School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Psychological Review
|July 20, 2023
Summary
Processing speed and executive attention are key to cognitive ability. This study suggests executive attention is a more fundamental factor explaining variations in human intelligence.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Individual differences in cognitive ability are often explained by processing speed and executive attention.
- Both constructs have significant historical roots in psychological research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To trace the historical development of processing speed and executive attention constructs.
- To evaluate the theoretical competition between speed and attention in explaining intelligence differences.
- To propose attention as a more fundamental mechanism for intelligence variation.
Main Methods:
- Historical analysis of psychological literature.
- Theoretical comparison of processing speed and executive attention models.
- Literature review focusing on intelligence, processing speed, and executive attention.
Main Results:
- Processing speed and executive attention are historically significant constructs in intelligence research.
- Attention and speed are often presented as competing explanations for cognitive differences.
- Evidence suggests executive attention plays a more foundational role in intelligence variation.
Conclusions:
- Executive attention is proposed as a more fundamental mechanism underlying individual differences in general and fluid intelligence.
- Understanding the interplay between attention and processing speed is crucial for a comprehensive theory of intelligence.
- Future research should further elucidate the primacy of executive attention in cognitive ability.
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