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Temporal Relations and Intelligence: Correlating Relational Performance With Performance on the Wais-III

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Abstract

Relational frame theory (RFT) explicitly suggests that derived relational responding underlies complex verbally-based cognitive performances. The current study investigated whether the ability to respond in accordance with temporal relations between stimuli was predictive of performance on the four indices of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, third edition (WAIS-III). In line with RFT predictions, for 81 undergraduate students between 18 and 48 years old, successfully completing a temporal relational task predicted better performance on the Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Organization indices but not on the Working Memory or Processing Speed indices. In addition, correlations observed between the percentage of correct temporal relational responses and individual subscales demonstrated strong within-index homogeneity, which highlights the utility of the index factor structure in WAIS-III.

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Author notes

  1. Denis O’Hora

    Present address: National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland

    Denis O’Hora

  2. Florida International University, USA

    Martha Peláez, Karen Robinson & Tahir Chaudhary

  3. National University of Ireland, Ireland

    Dermot Barnes-Holmes

  4. University of Ulster, Ireland

    Gordon Rae

Authors
  1. Denis O’Hora
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  2. Martha Peláez
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  3. Dermot Barnes-Holmes
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  4. Gordon Rae
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  5. Karen Robinson
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  6. Tahir Chaudhary
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Correspondence to Denis O’Hora.

Additional information

The authors thank Rick Dale, Gary Adamson, and two anonymous reviewers for their astute comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript.

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O’Hora, D., Peláez, M., Barnes-Holmes, D. et al. Temporal Relations and Intelligence: Correlating Relational Performance With Performance on the Wais-III. Psychol Rec 58, 569–584 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395638

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