Investigating the Mutualism  Theory of Intelligence  within the Domain of  General Knowledge in  Adolescence and Young  Adulthood

Cognitive abilities such as problem solving, logic reasoning and general knowledge have traditionally been theorized and studied as factor models, whereby latent unobserved variables such as general intelligence (g-factor), or crystallized (gc) and fluid intelligence (gf) pose as the underlying mechanisms for performance on cognitive tests. However, the mutualism theory of intelligence conceptualizes general cognitive ability and its components as a network, in which individual cognitive abilities (e.g., reasoning and vocabulary) influence and facilitate each other’s development. Studies into the use of mutualism theory have supported the theory as an explanation of the development between different cognitive constructs. Studies into development within a singular construct, however, remains sparse. Our study aimed to fill this gap in the literature. Using this network psychometrics we researched the construct general knowledge (gkn) using a data set of answers to a multiple-choice...Show moreCognitive abilities such as problem solving, logic reasoning and general knowledge have traditionally been theorized and studied as factor models, whereby latent unobserved variables such as general intelligence (g-factor), or crystallized (gc) and fluid intelligence (gf) pose as the underlying mechanisms for performance on cognitive tests. However, the mutualism theory of intelligence conceptualizes general cognitive ability and its components as a network, in which individual cognitive abilities (e.g., reasoning and vocabulary) influence and facilitate each other’s development. Studies into the use of mutualism theory have supported the theory as an explanation of the development between different cognitive constructs. Studies into development within a singular construct, however, remains sparse. Our study aimed to fill this gap in the literature. Using this network psychometrics we researched the construct general knowledge (gkn) using a data set of answers to a multiple-choice general knowledge test, obtained from the Open-Source Psychometrics Project database. Grouping the participants based on age (13-18, 19-24 and 25-35 years old) we found that overall, the partial correlations are weaker for the youngest group and strongest for the older groups. This suggests that general knowledge is not as strongly developed in the youngest group compared to the older groups. We also found that the youngest group had the most positive partial correlations overall, suggesting that mutualism is most active in this age range. Concurrently, we found that the middle group had the highest of both total amount of partial correlations, and total amount of positive partial correlations. The oldest group had the widest range in partial correlations, and the smallest number of partial correlations compared to the total amount of partial correlations recorded, suggesting that the development of general knowledge strengthens with age from younger to older adolescence and that this development levels off in (early) adulthood. These findings support the theory of mutualism and opens up avenues for further research into the use of mutualism theory to investigate the development of (constructs of) intelligence and related factorsShow less

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Investigating the Mutualism Theory of Intelligence within the Domain of General Knowledge in Adolescence and Young Adulthood