Abstract:

Presents an integrated perspective on mental speed and its importance in the measurement of intelligence. Initially, the current ways that mental speed has been conceptualized in the field of intelligence are discussed, and 2 approaches are focused on: explanatory and descriptive viewpoints. Then, several studies are reviewed that provide insight into the structure of mental speed, and an overview of different indicators of mental speed and related constructs is presented. The indicators discussed include psychomotor speed, inspection time, decision speed, odd-man-out speed, semantic processing speed, scanning speed, switching attention speed, clerical perceptual speed, speed of test taking, and personal tempo. Moreover, the implicit influence of speed within the constructs of reasoning ability and working memory are examined. It is concluded that although the understanding of mental speed is still in its infancy, the multidimensional nature of this construct and the differential relationships to other criteria point to the necessity of further research on the relationship between intelligence and mental speed.