Fractionating Human Intelligence
Open accessAbstract
What makes one person more intellectually able than another? Can the entire distribution of human intelligence be accounted for by just one general factor? Is intelligence supported by a single neural system? Here, we provide a perspective on human intelligence that takes into account how general abilities or "factors" reflect the functional organization of the brain. By comparing factor models of individual differences in performance with factor models of brain functional organization, we demonstrate that different components of intelligence have their analogs in distinct brain networks. Using simulations based on neuroimaging data, we show that the higher-order factor "g" is accounted for by cognitive tasks corecruiting multiple networks. Finally, we confirm the independence of these components of intelligence by dissociating them using questionnaire variables. We propose that intelligence is an emergent property of anatomically distinct cognitive systems, each of which has its own capacity.
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Each participant must complete a large battery of tasks in factor analysis, making collecting large samples difficult.
“Power can be an issue: Each participant must complete a large battery of task, making collecting large samples difficult (though see Hampshire et al., 2012; Johnson, Logie, & Brockmole, 2010).”
From When does cognitive functioning peak? The asynchronous rise and fall of different cognitive abilities across the life span (2015) · cites this paper as Hampshire et al., 2012
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- Authors
- Hampshire, A., Highfield, R. R., Parkin, B. L., & Owen, A. M.
- Affiliations
- Western University (CA)
- Science Museum (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Hampshire, Adam
- Venue
- Neuron
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-12
- Volume
- 76
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1225-1237
- ISSN
- 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2088055785
- Cited by
- 399
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 58 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 24.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (vor, 384 d)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
- Locations
- Neuron (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- WestminsterResearch (University of Westminster) (acceptedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Mauritius Research Council (U1055.01.002.00001.01)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills
- Keywords
- human intelligence, individual differences in intelligence, brain functional organization, brain networks, cognitive systems, factor models
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cortical Synchronization, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Neurological, Models, Psychological, Nerve Net, Neural Pathways, Pilot Projects, Cohort Studies, Young Adult
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