Expertise within Working Memory and Fluid Intellgence

Abstract

Working memory, fluid intelligence, and expertise are all psychological concepts that have been explored in the field. Working memory, defined by Baddeley (1986), is the temporary storage of stimuli presented to a person. The relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence is a common theme among studies. Fluid intelligence is one of the components of general intelligence (g). Specifically, fluid intelligence can be described as being able to adapt thinking, even with no previous knowledge (Jaeggi, Buschkuehl, Jonides, & Perrig, 2008). Expertise is another critical factor in these studies and is the acquisition of knowledge and being able to apply that knowledge (Chi, Glaser, & Rees, 1982). This thesis looks at the inter-relationships of those concepts in Missouri State University psychology students. The researchers confirmed the previously noted relationship between working memory and fluid intelligence (r = .50), but there were no other significant correlations between the tasks. It was interesting that working memory and fluid intelligence had similar correlations for the typing task (r = .23, r = .19), although not significant. These effects disappeared after controlling for the data quality measures used in the study (i.e., ways to show the participants put effort into the study). More research is needed to confirm that the current measures of expertise, or different ones, are related to working memory or fluid intelligence.