Simple Memory Test Predicts Intelligence

A recent article at makes the case that IQ is not fixed because it is highly correlated to working memory, which is a learning skill that can be improved, often dramatically.  Working memory is a way of temporarily storing information used for some mental task making it the target of most learning software.

This correlation exists because a major key to intelligence may be the ability to juggle multiple thoughts or memories at one time.

If the results of the study hold for the population at large, “I could predict an individual’s overall intellectual ability essentially with 79-percent accuracy if you tell me what their working memory capacity is,” said study researcher Steven Luck of the University of California, Davis.

The logic is sound.  And it also partially explains this IQ chart.  A school district used a standard IQ test to measure the impact of Fast ForWord reading program on an entire class of kids over a ten year period — five years of no progress before, then four years of dramatic gain after.   To read more on this study, read more  Fast ForWord research.

Here is a link to the article: