Non-verbal intelligence outperforms selective attention in a visual short-term memory test

Luis Anunciação,Ivan Rabelo,Anna Portugal,J Landeira-Fernandez

doi:10.1186/s41155-021-00200-0

Abstract

Short-term memory is a dynamic psychological process that operates within a network in which non-verbal intelligence and attentional domains are connected. However, no consensus has been reached about which process has the greatest effect on this memory ability, which was the main objective of the present study. A sample of 1448 Brazilian participants (mean age = 26.62 years, standard deviation = 9.97 years; 53.9% females) were collectively tested on pen-and-paper standardized and validated measures of selective (ROTAS-C), alternating (ROTAS-A), and divided (ROTAS-D) attention. They also performed the R1 Non-verbal Intelligence Test and a visual short-term memory test (Memória Visual de Curto Prazo [MEMORE] test). The statistical analyses consisted of a data mining procedure, in which exhaustive automatic selection screening was performed. The results were compared with Corrected Akaike Information Criteria. The linear model met the classic assumptions of ordinary least squares and only included main effects of selective attention (standardized β = 0.39) and non-verbal intelligence (standardized β = 0.37) as main predictors (F2,39 = 7.01, p < 0.01, adjusted R2 = 24%). The results are discussed within a cognitive psychology framework.

Highlights

Short-term memory is a dynamic psychological process that operates within a network in which non-verbal intelligence and attentional domains are connected
Exhaustive screening among all possible linear models to fit the relationship between the results of the visual short-term memory [memory test (MEMORE)] test and all other measures was performed using the glmulti genetic algorithm (Table 3)
The present results indicated that intelligence had a greater effect size, which was partially consistent with the findings of Alosco et al (2014), Fenn and Hambrick (2015), Miller, Spitznagel, Hughes, Rosneck, and Gunstad (2018), and Haavisto and Lehto (2005), the first studies were performed with clinical samples, and the latter studies relied on data from Air Force recruits

Summary

Introduction

Short-term memory is a dynamic psychological process that operates within a network in which non-verbal intelligence and attentional domains are connected. A sample of 1448 Brazilian participants (mean age = 26.62 years, standard deviation = 9.97 years; 53.9% females) were collectively tested on pen-and-paper standardized and validated measures of selective (ROTAS-C), alternating (ROTAS-A), and divided (ROTAS-D) attention. They performed the R1 Non-verbal Intelligence Test and a visual short-term memory test (Memória Visual de Curto Prazo [MEMORE] test). According to Spearman’s theory, intelligence can be viewed as an ability to efficiently adapt to the environment It involves learning from experience and recognizing and solving problems. Non-verbal intelligence refers to abstract reasoning, and its ability is partially independent of language (Anagnostou et al, 2013)

Results

Discussion

Conclusion