Intelligence and the Brain - A Model-Based Approach (2012) by Rogier A. Kievit, et al.pdf

COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, 2012, 3 (2), 89–97
Intelligence and the brain: A model-based approach
Rogier A. Kievit1, Hilko van Rooijen1, Jelte M. Wicherts1, Lourens J. Waldorp1,
Kees-Jan Kan2, H. Steven Scholte1, and Denny Borsboom1
1Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, herlands
2Department of Biological Psychology, Free University, Amsterdam, herlands
Various biological correlates of general intelligence (g) have been reported. Despite this, however, the relationship
between neurological measurements and g is not fully clear. We use structural equation modeling to model the
relationship between behavioral Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) estimates of g and neurological
measurements (voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging of eight regions of interest). We discuss
psychometric models that explicate the relationship between g and the brain in a manner in line with the scientific
study of g. Fitting the proposed models to the data, we find that a MIMIC model (for multiple indicators, multiple
causes), where the contributions of different brain regions to a unidimensional g are estimated separately, provides
the best fit against the data.
Keywords: Intelligence; Cognitive neuroscience; g; Structural equation modeling; Neuro g; Psychometrics.
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