Development of Speed, Memory, and Fluid Reasoning in Children

Abstract

ion and application of different rules. Thus, both complex learning and rule abstraction are variables that can be considered as potential mediators that might help to explain some of the remaining age-related variance in fluid reasoning in children. More importantly, however, another possible missing mediator that needs to be considered are the developmental changes in the brain, particularly the frontal cortex, that take place during childhood and adolescence (Goldman-Rakic,1987; Demspter,1992). The maturation of the frontal regions of the brain is associated with the development of executive functions (Conklin, Luciana, Hooper & Yager, 2007) that help with the performance on higher-order reasoning tasks, including fluid reasoning.(Ferrer, O’ Hare & Bunge, 2009). Future studies involving both neuroimaging and behavioral measures are needed to further explore the possibility that underlying developmental changes in the frontal regions of the brain can account for age-related improvement in children’s fluid reasoning. In conclusion, the results in this study suggest that working memory is a better predictor of fluid reasoning in children than secondary memory. However, secondary