Fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence was developed by psychologist Raymond B. Cattell’s former student and cognitive psychology John Leonard Horn (Perera, 2020). Have you ever met someone who is capable of taking in new information and extrapolate answer without letting previous knowledge get in the way? This is called fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence is the ability to think abstractly, reason quickly, and problem solve independent of any previous acquired knowledge (Perera, 2020). Unlike fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence is based on facts and rooted in our experiences. An example of fluid intelligence is solving puzzles or maybe even a Rubik’s cube because both involve one to come up with problem solving strategies. On the other hand, examples of crystallized intelligence are riding a bike, reading a book, recalling historical events and dates, reciting lyrics from a song. These are all good examples of crystallized intelligence because they are facts or have been rooted in experience.
Class, how would you test for fluid intelligence? Why is fluid intelligence important?