The Getting of Wisdom: Fluid Intelligence Does Not Drive Knowledge Acquisition

Abstract

The investment hypothesis proposes that fluid intelligence drives the accumulation of crystallized intelligence, such that crystallized intelligence increases more substantially in individuals with high rather than low fluid intelligence. However, most investigations have been conducted on adolescent cohorts or in two-wave data sets. There are few longitudinal representative studies with which to observe the growth of intelligence in young adulthood. A large community representative sample of 20- to 24-year-olds was recruited in 1999 and followed in 2003 and 2007. The Spot-the-Word Test Version A, a lexical decision task, was used to assess crystallized intelligence. The Symbol–Digit Modalities Test, a test of perceptual speed, was used as a measure of fluid intelligence. Latent growth models were used to examine whether growth in fluid intelligence drives the acquisition of crystallized intelligence. Fluid and crystallized intelligence are coupled; crystallized intelligence accrues in the 20s, but the rate of increase of crystallized intelligence is not associated with the level of fluid intelligence. Although young adulthood is associated with “the getting of wisdom,” accelerated development of crystallized intelligence in those with high fluid intelligence was not observed. Hence, no support was found for the investment hypothesis.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Funding was provided by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Program Grant 179805. Helen Christensen is funded by NHMRC Fellowship 525411. Philip Batterham is funded by NHMRC Capacity Grant 418020.

We gratefully acknowledge the participants in this study, Patricia Jacomb, Karen Maxwell, and PATH interviewers for their assistance.

Notes

Note. Bold p-values indicate p < .05; STW = Spot-the-Word Test; SDMT = Symbol–Digit Modalities Test; APOE e4 = Apolipoprotein e4genotype; AUDIT = Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test.