| 其他摘要 | Executive functions (EF) are high-level cognitive processes, which enableindividuals to regulate their thoughts and actions during goal-directed behavior bymoderating the lower-level cognitive processes. General Fluid Intelligence (Gf) refersto an individual's ability to solve noval problems through reasoning, including logicalreasoning, information processing speed, abstract problem solving, etc. Both executivefunction and fluid intelligence described individual cognitive ability, both of them werelocated in the frontal lobe, and both of them were closely related to individualperformance. Thus, the relationship between executive functions and fluid intelligencehas gotten wide attention, but no consensus conclusion has been reached. Therefore,finding out the relationship between executive function and fluid intelligence helps tofurther understand the individual cognitive structure, which has important theoreticalvalue. Both executive function and fluid intelligence were closely related to individualperformance, and fluid intelligence is the most effective one in all predictors of generalindividual performance. Therefore, exploring the relationship between executivefunction and fluid intelligence can detect whether the executive function has thepotential to predict general individual performance, which has important applicationvalue.
Study 1 conducted a meta-analysis to explore the effects of type of executivefunction, type of test task, type of test indicator and age on the correlation between EFand Gf. The results showed that executive functions were moderately correlated withfluid intelligence (r =0.220). Updating was strongly correlated with fluid intelligence(r =0.329) and Shifting was moderately correlated with fluid intelligence (r =0.244).Inhibition was less associated with fluid intelligence (r=0.185). The type of executivefunction tasks moderated the correlation between EF and Gf. Generally, the correlationbetween updating tasks and fluid intelligence was high, the correlation betweenswitching tasks and fluid intelligence was in the middle, and the correlation betweeninhibitory control tasks and fluid intelligence was low. The correlation between Flanker and fluid intelligence was higher than that between stop-signal， Go no-go task andfluid intelligence. The type of executive function indicators moderated therelationship between EF and Gf. The correlation between EF and Gf was stronger forthe mean index (r=0.270) than the difference index (r=0.128). Task type had nosignificant moderating effect when both the task type and indicator type wereconsidered simultaneously.
In study 2, we compared the correlation between fluid intelligence and threetypical executive function tasks and different types of indicators through empiricalstudies. In addition to the traditional mean and difference indicators, we adopted anintegration index (BinScore) for comparison. The results are consistent with meta-analysis. Generally, stronger correlation results were obtained by using the meanindex than the difference index, while the correlation results obtained by BinScore werein the middle. The results of the principal component analysis were similar to themeta-analysis. Updating was strongly correlated with Gf (r=0.334) and Shifting wasmoderately correlated with Gf (r=0.294). There was no significant correlationbetween the three tests involved in Inhibition, so the principal component could not beextracted. In the three Inhibition control tasks, Flanker and Simon were significantlycorrelated with the Gf test.
Traditional executive function tests measured executive functions separately. Totest the overall executive function level of individuals more efficiently, study 3proposed a multidimensional executive function test (MEFT) and verified its reliabilityand validity. The results showed that MEFT2.0 could effectively measure the threetypical executive functions of individuals. Specifically, the updating index of MEFT2.0was significantly correlated with the principal components of the three traditionalupdating tests (r=0.344). The switching index was significantly correlated with theprincipal components of the three traditional switching tests (r =0.335). The inhibitioncontrol index was significantly correlated with the Flanker test (r =0.264). In addition,the Binscore-based retest reliability of MEFT2.0 (r=0.323-0.509) was better than thatof traditional executive function tests (r=0.113-0.251). As a comprehensive executive function test with favorable reliability and validity, MEFT2.0 was also used to calculatethe correlation between executive function and fluid intelligence, and the resultsshowed that all three indicators of MEFT2.0 were strongly correlated with fluidintelligence (r=0.350-0.384).
The present study for the first time systematically explored the correlation betweenexecutive function and fluid intelligence through meta-analysis and experimentalresearch and found two kinds of key influencing factors, which was helpful to furtherunderstanding the individual cognitive structure. Whatsmore, the study put forward aninnovative test with qualified validity and reliability that can quickly assesscomprehensive executive function, which has guiding significance for the developmentof personnel assessment tools. In conclusion, (1) updating ability was the most relatedto fluid intelligence in all three typical executive functions, switching ability wasmoderate related to fluid intelligence, inhibitory control ability had a weak relationshipwith fluid intelligence and was affected by the specific testing tasks; (2) Index typesaffected the correlation between executive functions and fluid intelligence. Thecorrelation between executive functions and fluid intelligence was stronger when usingthe mean index, while weaker when using the difference index. The correlation betweenexecutive function and fluid intelligence was in the median; (3) MEFT2.0 couldeffectively measure the updating ability, switching ability and attentional inhibition ofsubjects, and had good reliability, but the discrimination needed to be improved. |
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