RELATION BETWEEN FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND FRONTAL-LOBE FUNCTIONING IN OLDER ADULTS

This study reports the relations among normal aging, intelligence, and frontal lobe functioning. Intelligence tasks and frontal lobe functio ning tasks were administered to 107 adults from two age groups (25 to 46 years and 70 to 99 years). Intelligence measures were assessed with two crystallized tests (WAIS Vocabulary and Information subtests), on e fluid intelligence test (Cattell's Matrices), and one mixed, crystal lized and fluid test (WAIS Similarities subtest). Frontal functioning was assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and two test s of verbal fluency. Significant age differences in favor of the young were found on the two intelligence tests with a fluid component and o n all measures of frontal lobe functioning. Correlational analyses exa mining the relationship of intelligence measures to frontal variables indicated that these last measures were significantly correlated with only fluid intelligence tests in the elderly group. The implications f or the relations among aging, fluid intelligence, and frontal lobe fun ctioning are discussed.