Cognitive Models in Intelligence Research: Advantages and Recommendations for Their Application
Open Access
- 17 July 2018
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Journal of Intelligence
- Vol. 6 (3), 34
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence6030034
Abstract
Mathematical models of cognition measure individual differences in cognitive processes, such as processing speed, working memory capacity, and executive functions, that may underlie general intelligence. As such, cognitive models allow identifying associations between specific cognitive processes and tracking the effect of experimental interventions aimed at the enhancement of intelligence on mediating process parameters. Moreover, cognitive models provide an explicit theoretical formalization of theories regarding specific cognitive processes that may help in overcoming ambiguities in the interpretation of fuzzy verbal theories. In this paper, we give an overview of the advantages of cognitive modeling in intelligence research and present models in the domains of processing speed, working memory, and selective attention that may be of particular interest for intelligence research. Moreover, we provide guidelines for the application of cognitive models in intelligence research, including data collection, the evaluation of model fit, and statistical analyses.Keywords
This publication has 100 references indexed in Scilit:
- Intelligence, Where to Look, Where to Go?Journal of Intelligence, 2013
- Why does working memory capacity predict variation in reading comprehension? On the influence of mind wandering and executive attention.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2012
- Does Attentional Selectivity in the Flanker Task Improve Discretely or Gradually?Frontiers in Psychology, 2012
- Diffusion models of the flanker task: Discrete versus gradual attentional selectionCognitive Psychology, 2011
- Effects of aging and IQ on item and associative memory.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2011
- Individual differences, aging, and IQ in two-choice tasksCognitive Psychology, 2010
- Discrete fixed-resolution representations in visual working memoryNature, 2008
- The Diffusion Decision Model: Theory and Data for Two-Choice Decision TasksNeural Computation, 2008
- A diffusion model explanation of the worst performance rule for reaction time and IQIntelligence, 2008
- Estimating the Dimension of a ModelThe Annals of Statistics, 1978