Working Memory and Intelligence: The Same or Different Constructs?

TLDR

Prior work has suggested that working memory and general intelligence may be essentially the same construct, yet this identity has not been comprehensively evaluated despite memory measures’ frequent inclusion in intelligence tests and theories. The authors performed a meta‑analysis of 86 samples linking working memory to intelligence, and a supplemental analysis distinguishing short‑term memory from working memory in relation to intelligence. The meta‑analysis revealed that the average correlation between working memory and general intelligence is substantially less than one, and the authors argue that psychometric and theoretical perspectives clarify the relationship.

Abstract

Several investigators have claimed over the past decade that working memory (WM) and general intelligence (g) are identical, or nearly identical, constructs, from an individual-differences perspective. Although memory measures are commonly included in intelligence tests, and memory abilities are included in theories of intelligence, the identity between WM and intelligence has not been evaluated comprehensively. The authors conducted a meta-analysis of 86 samples that relate WM to intelligence. The average correlation between true-score estimates of WM and g is substantially less than unity (p=.479). The authors also focus on the distinction between short-term memory and WM with respect to intelligence with a supplemental meta-analysis. The authors discuss how consideration of psychometric and theoretical perspectives better informs the discussion of WM-intelligence relations.