The characterization of attention resource capacity and its relationship with fluid reasoning intelligence: A multiple object tracking study

The objective of the study was to examine MOT capability at different levels of cognitive load (tracking 1,2,3, or 4 objects) and its association to higher level processes, particularly fluid reasoning intelligence.

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70 adult participants (mean= 23 years of age) completed NeuroTracker and were then assessed on the Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence 2 test. Participants were asked to track one, two, three and four targets out of a total of 8 spheres for eight seconds.

The results showed that as the number of targets increased, the average speed the participants successfully tracked all the objects decreased. This finding allowed the researchers to confirm that average speed score can be used as a suitable metric for MOT and in turn, attention resource capacity. As a result, the outcomes indicate that visual tracking capability is positively associated with fluid reasoning intelligence. Consequently, this finding demonstrates that there is a link between fluid reasoning intelligence and MOT capability, especially in conditions of high load (tracking 4 out of 8 targets).