Fluid vs. Crystallized Intelligence: Differences Explained

The study of intelligence has always been fraught with debate. Even in this day and age, it is frequently the target of criticism. Despite this, IQ tests are widely popular and can be quite helpful in predicting various aspects of an individual's life. But to comprehend how intelligence functions, you must first learn the distinction between fluid vs. crystallized intelligence.

This article will explain fluid vs. crystallized intelligence psychology, how they work together, whether we can consciously improve their level, and much more.

What is Fluid Intelligence?

British-American psychologist Raymond Cattell defined fluid intelligence as ‘the ability to perceive relationships independent of previous specific practice or instruction regarding those relationships.’

Fluid intelligence refers to our inherent capacity to solve new problems, think logically and critically, reason abstractly, process information, and adapt to the environment. It is our genetic potential, the cognitive capacity we were born with, and it doesn’t depend on the knowledge and skills we acquire throughout life.

As such, it is a fundamental part of our general intelligence. In a practical sense, fluid intelligence describes our ability to recognize patterns, solve puzzles, and learn new things. It complements other types of intelligence and gives us valuable insight into a person’s cognitive potential.

It is considered that fluid intelligence grows continually during childhood and peaks in early adulthood when it reaches its maximum potential. After that, it slowly declines as we age.

Fluid Intelligence Examples

We use fluid and crystallized intelligence simultaneously all the time, so it may be difficult to separate them completely.

However, here are a few examples of activities that largely employ your fluid intelligence:

• Figuring out how to assemble a newly bought piece of furniture without reading the instructions but figuring out how parts fit together yourself.
• Watching a mystery movie or playing a mystery game with friends and guessing who will turn out to be the villain in the end.
• Solving riddles and puzzles.
• Interpreting statistics and coming to a conclusion or a prediction about some issue based on them.

What is Crystallized Intelligence?

an image of a girl illustrating the difference between fluid vs crystalized intelligence

Crystallized intelligence is defined by the ability to apply previously accumulated knowledge to solve problems and answer different challenges.

Unlike fluid intelligence, which relies on reasoning in the here and now, crystalized intelligence draws upon accumulated knowledge, skills, and expertise acquired through education, experience, and learning.

Raymond Cattel suggested that crystallized intelligence is a set of basic abilities, including numerical, verbal, mechanical, and spatial aptitudes.

Obviously, crystallized intelligence is not something we inherit, but it is primarily influenced by the cultural and social environment in which we grow up. It depends on the quality of our education, our life experiences, and our personal inclinations.

While fluid intelligence tends to decline, crystallized intelligence increases with age, in line with the efforts a person invests in accumulating knowledge.

Crystallized Intelligence Examples

Crystallized intelligence is just as valuable as fluid intelligence and possibly even more needed in our day-to-day lives.

Here are some examples of activities that typically demand the employment of our crystallized intelligence:

• Making breakfast based on a recipe you learned and tried. You don’t have to think about how to do it because you rely on your experience and your memory.
• Driving to your job, following the same route. You don’t have to think about how to get to your office every morning because you’ve learned the route; just draw upon your knowledge of it.
• Riding a bicycle. Thanks to your crystalized intelligence, even if you stop riding a bicycle for ten years, with little practice, you can ride it again anytime you want.

Fluid vs. Crystallized Intelligence

We all have fluid and crystallized intelligence. There should never be a question of whether one is more important than the other because we use both all the time. They are substantially different in nature, and that’s exactly why they complement each other.

How Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence Work Together

Fluid and crystallized intelligence are tightly intertwined and together form a person’s general cognitive and intellectual capacity. Everything we learn by relying on fluid intelligence further becomes a tool for crystallized intelligence.

Regardless of how easy or difficult, fast or slow it is for us to learn something, the moment we adopt knowledge, it is stored in our brain, where we can activate it using crystallized intelligence.

Driving is a very illustrative fluid vs. crystallized intelligence example. When you learn to drive, you rely primarily on your fluid intelligence as you pick up the mechanics of the car and learn how to coordinate your moves with the car's commands.

Once you learn to drive one car, you can drive almost every other car because your crystallized intelligence supports the knowledge you acquired using your fluid intelligence.

However, when in traffic, you are constantly faced with new problems and need to watch and anticipate the intentions of other drivers, which requires the activity of your fluid intelligence.

So, on the one hand, driving requires crystallized intelligence, as you don’t have to learn how to drive every time you enter the car. On the other hand, you have to problem-solve and think logically while you drive as you face new situations and environments every day.

Testing Fluid vs. Crystallized Intelligence

Due to the nature of crystallized intelligence, it is safe to conclude that it is much easier to measure than fluid intelligence.

How accurately fluid intelligence can be measured is the topic of many debates, even today. However, specific tests were developed over time that target these two competencies and provide relatively precise levels of both IQ types.

IQ tests that measure fluid intelligence are:

• Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test: A non-verbal test based on visual patterns and shapes where a person has to choose the correct shape to complete a pattern or anticipate which pattern comes next in a sequence based on logical reasoning.
• Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities: measures cognitive skills and includes a series of sequences that the candidate is asked to repeat in alternating order and similar tasks.
• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: Primarily administered to children aged 6 to 16 years, it measures reasoning, verbal, and memory skills.

IQ tests that measure crystallized intelligence are:

• Vocabulary Tests: Estimate a person’s understanding and usage of language and words.
• General Knowledge Tests: These are usually tests that aim to measure knowledge in areas like literature, history, science, geography, etc.
• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS): One of the standardized tests used as a measure of cognitive abilities developed in adults. The score is a breakdown of intelligence in different areas.

How to Improve Fluid Intelligence

an image of a person writing on paper

According to research from 2014, brain training can improve fluid intelligence. However, there’s still no definite answer to the question of whether we can really improve fluid intelligence at all, but certain activities surely can help boost its development and prevent it from deteriorating too early.

Here are some things you can do that will surely have a positive effect on your fluid IQ:

• Regular physical activity. Many studies have confirmed the link between body and mind, so everything good for the body impacts the mind, too.
• Quality sleep. Sleep is essential for healthy working memory and directly influences our mood and the efficiency of our cognitive skills.
• Social engagement. Socializing and exchanging opinions with others stimulates cognitive function.
• Playing musical instruments. Learning to play musical instruments supports brain connectivity and indirectly supports fluid intelligence.
• Cognitive training. Targeted cognitive exercises can increase your fluid IQ.

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How to Improve Crystallized Intelligence

Crystallized intelligence is believed to increase as we age. Some studies claim that it peaks at the age of 60. It directly depends on the knowledge and skills we acquire and is naturally increased through learning.

Here are a few ideas on how to enhance it:

• Learning a new language. Engaging in structured education boosts your knowledge and expertise.
• Reading regularly. Reading exposes you to all kinds of new ideas and information, and it improves your vocabulary and general knowledge.
• Teaching. It may sound contradictory, but teaching others what you know is one of the best and most efficient ways to crystalize and deepen your knowledge.

Key Takeaways

Fluid and crystallized intelligence are like two sides of a coin. There has never really been a competition between fluid vs. crystallized intelligence, as they enhance one another and enrich our experience of life. While fluid intelligence empowers us to grasp the unknown and adjust swiftly to new situations, crystallized intelligence represents the wisdom of accumulated knowledge.

Now, let’s end with the most important facts about these two types of intelligence:

• Fluid intelligence represents our genetic potential and reflects our ability to solve problems, face new situations, and understand patterns without drawing on previous experience and knowledge.
• Crystallized intelligence represents our ability to implement the knowledge we have acquired and make decisions based on our experience and stored data.
• While fluid intelligence peaks in young adulthood, crystallized intelligence keeps increasing well into old age.
• Both types of intelligence develop during childhood and can be improved through different practices throughout life.