Reaction Time and Intelligence

Abstract

James McKeen Cattell's contributions to the development of psychology have been well recognized. His earliest efforts in experimental psychology, however, were regarded by himself and others as unsuccessful. Following in the tradition of his mentors, Wundt and Galton, Cattell tried to demonstrate that psychophysiological measures could be related to general intelligence and achievement, but unsatisfactory results from Clark Wissler's (1901) dissertation combined with the wide acceptance of Alfred Binet's model of measuring intelligence led him to abandon his research and devote his considerable energies to other professional endeavors. Contemporary researchers have recently revived the basic research paradigm that Cattell was using, and considerable support has been found for the hypothesis that individual differences in elementary cognitive tasks are related to general intelligence. It is possible that intelligence theories of the future may owe as much to the Galtonian model of intelligence and its adherents like Cattell as they owe to Binet.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Barrett, W.H. and Eysenck, H.J. (1986) 'Intelligence, Reaction Time (RT), and a New Odd-Man-Out Paradigm', Personality and Individual Differences 6: 807-817.

Binet, A. and Vaschide, N. (1897) 'Mesures anatomiques chez 40 jeunes gens', L'Annee Psychologique 4: 113-136.

Boring, E.G. (1950) A History of Experimental Psychology. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

Buckhalt, J.A. , Reeve, T.G. and Dornier, L. (1990) 'Correlations of Movement Time and Intelligence: Effects of Simplifying Response Requirements', Intelligence 14: 481-491.

Cattell, J.M. (1886) 'The Time Taken up by Cerebral Operations', Mind 11: 220-242.

Cattell, J.M. and Doiley, C.S. (1896) 'On Reaction Times and the Velocity of Nervous Impulse', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 7: 393-415.

Eysenck, H.J. (ed.) (1982) A Model for Intelligence. New York: Springer Verlag.

Gardner, M.K. , Clark, E. , Miller, L.S. and Kehle, T.J. (1989) 'A Comparison of Two Theory-based Measures of Intelligence: Are They Measuring the Same Thing?', School Psychology International 10: 163-171.

Gilbert, J.A. (1894) 'Researches on the Mental and Physical Development of School-children', Studies from the Yale Psychology Laboratory 2: 40-100.

10.

Jensen, A.R. (1982) 'Reaction Time and Psychometric g', in H.J. Eysenck (ed.) A Model for Intelligence. New York: Springer-Verlag.

11.

Jensen, A.R. (1987) 'Individual Differences in the Hick Paradigm', in P.A. Vernon (ed.) Speed of Information-processing and Intelligence. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

12.

Matthews, G. and Dorn, L. (1989) 'IQ and Choice Reaction Time: An Information Processing Analysis', Intelligence 13: 299-317.

13.

Peak, H. and Boring, E.G. (1926) 'The Factor of Speed in Intelligence', Journal of Experimental Psychology 9: 71-94.

14.

Sattler, J.M. (1988) Assessment of Children. San Diego, CA: J.M. Sattler.

15.

Sokal, M.M. (1971) The Unpublished Autobiography of James McKeen Cattell', American Psychologist 26: 626-635.

16.

Sokal, M.M. (1980) 'Science and James McKeen Cattell', Science 209: 43-52.

17.

Sokal, M.M. (1981a) 'The Origins of the Psychological Corporation', Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences 17: 54-67.

18.

Sokal, M.M. (1981b) An Education in Psychology: James McKeen Cattell's Journals and Letters from Germany and England, 1880-1888. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

19.

Sokal, M.M. (1987) 'James McKeen Cattell and Mental Anthropometry: Nineteenth-century Science and Reform and the Origins of Psychological Testing', in M.M. Sokal (ed.) Psychological Testing and American Society 1890-1930. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

20.

Spearman, C. (1904) 'General Intelligence: Objectively Determined and Measured', American Journal of Psychology 15: 201-292.

21.

Vernon, P.A. (1987) Speed of Information-processing and Intelligence. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

22.

Vernon, P.A. and Mori, M. (1989) 'Nerve Conduction Velocity: A Correlate of Intelligence and Speed of Information Processing', paper presented at the meeting of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (June), Heidelberg.

23.

Wissler, C. (1901) The Correlation of Mental and Physical Tests', Psychological Review Monograph Supplements 3 (6/Whole 16).