ur

It is better than you think: fluid intelligence across the lifespan The growth and decline of fluid intelligence is associated with brain structural changes. For example, development of fluid IQ is associated with cortex thickness during the critical period between 6 to 12 years old1. On the other end of the lifespan, poor performance in cognitive functioning is attributed to a decrease of frontal gray matter density in elderly populations2. In particular, there is a sharp decline in fluid IQ scores after 65 years of age3. There is substantial evidence that working memory and fluid intelligence (Gf) share neural substrates, such as the prefrontal and parietal cortices2,4. However, very little research has examined whether the pattern of growth and decline in working memory mirrors that of fluid intelligence. For example, does the decline of working memory skills in elderly populations mirror fluid intelligence? Is the rate of working memory decline similar to the rate of growth? In order to investigate these issues, we included individuals aged from 5 to 85 years old from a range of demographic backgrounds in a cross-sectional study. They participated in a series of verbal and visuo-spatial working memory assessments. Unlike IQ tests5, there is evidence to suggest that working memory tests may be a culture-fair measure of cognitive ability. For example, it is relatively impervious to environmental influence such as the quality of social and intellectual stimulation in the home, the number of years spent in pre-school education6, and financial background7. Recent research comparing immigrant populations to native European speakers identify similar patterns in working memory skills in across these groups8. One explanation is that working memory is a relatively pure measure of a child’s learning potential, rather than a measure of what acquired skills9-11. It is therefore possible tha