Cited by 1,293Cognitive Abilities and TestingNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesCognitive Functions and Memory

Not All Executive Functions Are Related to Intelligence

Friedman, Naomi P., Miyake, Akira, Corley, Robin P., Young, Susan E., DeFries, John C., Hewitt, John K.·2006·Psychological Science

Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that executive functions (EFs) are related to intelligence, despite neuropsychological results initially considered evidence of no such relation. However, findings that EFs are not unitary raise the issue of how intelligence relates to different EFs. This study examined the relations of fluid and crystallized intelligence and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale IQ to three separable EFs—inhibiting prepotent responses (inhibiting), shifting mental sets (shifting), and updating working memory (updating)—in young adults. Updating was highly correlated with the intelligence measures, but inhibiting and shifting were not. Furthermore, in structural equation models controlling for the inter-EF correlations, updating remained strongly related to intelligence, but the relations of inhibiting and shifting to intelligence were small and not significant. The results indicate that intelligence measures differentially relate to these three EFs, suggesting that current intelligence measures do not equally assess a wide range of executive control abilities likely required for many “intelligent” behaviors.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01681.x

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  • The present results align with research showing that updating and/or executive attention have strong relations with Matrix Reasoning performance.

    “Our results are therefore in line with research showing that updating42 and/or executive attention49 show strong relations with Matrix Reasoning performance.”
  • These results imply that N-back training does not merely enhance task-specific strategies but may change underlying WM components such as focus of attention capacity or updating, which can support Matrix Reasoning.

    “These results imply that N-back training does not seem to merely enhance task-specific strategies, but may lead to changes in underlying components of WM such as the capacity of the focus of attention41 or updating42, which in turn can support performance on Matrix Reasoning problems43.”
  • These differences reflect dissociable effects on functionally distinct aspects of executive function, leaving unaffected emotional processing at the group level, in healthy participants.

    “These differences reflect dissociable effects on functionally distinct aspects of executive function [31], leaving unaffected emotional processing at the group level, in healthy participants.”
  • Working memory is highly related to general mental ability in adults.

    “Although executive functions are largely distinct from general intelligence (Blair, 2006), the executive function of working memory has been shown to be highly related to general mental ability in a number of studies with adults (Friedman, Miyake, Corley, Young, Defries, & Hewitt, 2006).”

    From Salivary cortisol mediates effects of poverty and parenting on executive functions in early childhood (2011) · cites this paper as Friedman, Miyake, Corley, Young, Defries, & Hewitt, 2006

  • There is a strong relationship between EF and fluid intelligence in childhood and adulthood.

    “consistent with recent latent variable approaches that confirmed a strong relationship between both domains in childhood and adulthood (e.g., Friedman et al., 2006; Engel de Abreu et al., 2010).”

    From Executive control training from middle childhood to adolescence (2014) · cites this paper as Friedman et al., 2006

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Authors
Friedman, N. P., Miyake, A., Corley, R. P., Young, S. E., DeFries, J. C., & Hewitt, J. K.
Affiliations
University of Colorado Boulder (US)
Corresponding author
Friedman, Naomi P.
Venue
Psychological Science
Published
2006-02
Volume
17
Issue
2
Pages
172-179
ISSN
  • 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-9280
OpenAlex
W2127016810
Cited by
1,293
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 128 · 2020: 82 · 2019: 62 · 2018: 76 · 2017: 95 · 2016: 103 · 2015: 80 · 2014: 81 · 2013: 81 · 2012: 58
FWCI
39.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH 01865, K01MH001865, MH-63207)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD010333, R01HD010333, HD-007289, T32HD007289)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
Keywords
executive function, intelligence, fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, working memory updating, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, young adults, neuropsychology
MeSH terms
Adult, Cognition, Cues, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Intelligence, Memory, Neuropsychological Tests, Reaction Time, Twins

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