Matrix Reasoning, what is it?  The last time we discussed…

ConstableElementLeopard28 Matrix Reasoning, what is it?  The last time we discussed…Image transcription textTake Quiz Exit When you have completed the quiz, click the”Submit Quiz” button located at the bottom right ofthe screen. l: Question 1 1 pts To answer this question,… Show more… Show moreImage transcription textTake Quiz Exit E Question 2 1 pts To answer this ques?on, readthe written content of the activity. Based on the results of thestudy discussed, which group had the most individuals … Show more… Show moreImage transcription textTake Quiz Exit Question 4 0 pts A D + * B X ? C G OC O B OE ODOA OG OF Question 5 0 pts… Show moreImage transcription textTake Quiz Exit E31 Question 13 10 MS I did not want to grade youbased on your matrix reasoning answers, but I did want to giveyou points for your ?me and have a way to show the co… Show more… Show moreMatrix Reasoning, what is it? The last time we discussed cognitive development was in middle childhood and in that chapter intelligence (IQ) tests were discussed. IQ tests are composed of various cognitive tasks. One common task included in many IQ tests for children and adults is called matrix reasoning.  Matrix reasoning tasks involving looking at an array of items set up in a specific way, sort of like a puzzle-but with one piece missing–so you have to reason, from a list of options, which piece fits in the pattern of the puzzle. Matrix reasoning refers to the task itself, but it measures is often referred to as abstract (fluid) reasoning.Abstract reasoning is the ability to solve novel problems without task-specific knowledge and a core mechanism of human learning. Abstract reasoning is closely related to more fundamental cognitive functions such as processing speed and working memory. It is also predictive of a number of mental health symptoms and educational attainment. Abstract reasoning capacity increases during childhood and adolescence and peaks in early adulthood. These changes in reasoning performance during development have been linked to the protracted maturation of the frontal cortex. During the same developmental period, impulsivity decreases markedly, raising the possibility that increases in reasoning scores could reflect either true increases in reasoning capacity, a decrease in impulsivity or both. In other words, there may be a developmental speed-accuracy trade-off that occurs during adolescence. Due to this predictive power and because it is typically neither trained, nor taught, abstract reasoning is often assessed as part of fluid intelligence tests, including the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence–a very popular test of cognitive abilities in children. However, these tasks are not free-to-use, and copyright usually prevents us from peeking at them in this class. Recently a research group created an open-access item bank of matrix items. This means they are free to use! They also ran a large group of adolescents and adults on the items. Let’s take a look at some of their data and then we will put you to the test yourself so you can experience it firsthand!Matrix Reasoning DataThe “violin” chart below shows response times by age. Response time refers to how quickly participants answered the questions. The participants were grouped by age, so the chart shows how quickly different age groups submitted their answer. As you can see, there was a relationship between response time and age. If you look at each colored violin, you can see that for the “younger adolescents”, the shape of their violin is widest just above 5000 milliseconds and this widest part of their violin is the lowest to the bottom of the chart–compared to the other groups. The narrow part of their violin suggests that there were some “younger adolescents” who took more time to respond, but the majority were quick to respond. With age, each group had more individuals who took more time to respond. So this chart can simply be summarized as the youngest adolescents were the quickest to respond and with age, there is a trend to respond not as quick.  Responding quickly is not always ideal–it does not necessarily mean someone answered correctly. While the violin charts for response time all had a similar shape, you can see the violin charts for accuracy all have very different shapes! The accuracy violin chart for “younger adolescents” has the shape of a stuffed edamame pod or an overstuffed banana slug. The accuracy violin chart for the adults has the shape of a manta ray. You can see that the overall average accuracy increased with age; the younger adolescents were the least accurate as a group and the adults were the most accurate as a group. Looking just at the adolescents, the trend is that with age, adolescents become more accurate. What is interesting is to think about the two charts combined with consideration of adolescent development. Younger adolescents were more likely to answer quickly, despite the fact that their answers were the least accurate. With age, adolescents took more time to respond, but were also more accurate. Adolescents can be more impulsive, perhaps why they were so quick to respond despite low accuracy. The prefrontal cortex continues to develop during these adolescent years and is a a brain region involved in planning cognitive behavior and decision making–both need in the matrix reasoning tasks. Thus, from a developmental perspective, the results of this study make sense!   Arts & HumanitiesEnglish