Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM)

Intelligence

Intelligence has been defined in many ways: higher-level abilities (such as abstract

reasoning, mental representation, problem-solving, and decision making), the ability to learn,

emotional knowledge, creativity, and adaptation to meet the demands of the environment

effectively.

The mental abilities necessary for adaptation to, as well as shaping and selection of, any

environmental context (Sternberg, 1997). Vroon (1980), identifies three types of definitions of

intelligence. The first, comprises verbal, intuitive descriptions of a phenomenon; The second

comprises operational definitions; The third kind of definition comprises of the assumption

of a theory about the nature of the concept, the development of an instrument, and the possibility

of using this instrument to predict behavior and possibly change it.

The confusion surrounding intelligence is largely due to the fact that intelligence is a

theoretical construct that cannot be directly observed (Ryle, 1949).

Theories of intelligence

1. Spearman (1947) concluded that there is a single g-factor that represents an individual’s

general intelligence across multiple abilities and that a second factor, s, refers to an

individual’s specific ability in one particular area.

2. Thurstone (1938) challenged the concept of a g-factor. After analyzing data from 56

different tests of mental abilities, he identified a number of primary mental abilities that

comprise intelligence, as opposed to one general factor. The seven primary mental

abilities in Thurstone's model are verbal comprehension, verbal fluency, number facility,

spatial visualization, perceptual speed, memory, and inductive reasoning.

independent multiple intelligences exist, each representing unique skills and talents

relevant to a certain category.

Gardner (1983) initially proposed seven multiple intelligences: linguistic, logical-

mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal, and

he has since added naturalist intelligence.

Intelligence tests

Intelligence testing, although called by many different names and used in many different

forms, has been around for many centuries (Anastasi, 1982). An intelligence test involves a

series of tasks designed to measure the capacity to make abstractions, to learn, and to deal with

novel situations. The test is scored in terms of intelligence quotient, or IQ, a concept first

suggested by German psychologist William Stern and adopted by Lewis Terman in the Stanford-

Binet Scale. The IQ was originally computed as the ratio of a person’s mental age to his

chronological (physical) age, multiplied by 100. Thus, if a child of 10 had a mental age of 12

(that is, performed on the test at the level of an average 12-year-old), then the child was assigned

an IQ of (12/10) X 100, or 120. A score of 100, for which the mental age equaled the

chronological age, was average; scores above 100 were above average, scores below 100 were

below average.

Intelligence tests are of several types. On the basis of their administration procedure, they

can be categorized as individual or group tests. They can also be classified as either verbal or

performance tests on the basis of the nature of items used. Depending upon the extent to which

an intelligence test favors one culture over another, it can be judged as either culture fair or

culture biased.
Individual or Group Tests

An individual intelligence test is one that can be administered to one person at a time. A

group intelligence test can be administered to several persons simultaneously. Individual tests

require the test administrator to establish a rapport with the subject and be sensitive to her/his

feelings, moods, and expressions during the testing session. Group tests, however, do not allow

an opportunity to be familiar with the subjects’ feelings. Individual tests allow people to answer

orally or in a written form or manipulate objects as per the tester’s instructions. Group tests

generally seek written answers usually in a multiple-choice format.

Verbal, Non-Verbal, or Performance Tests

An intelligence test may be fully verbal, fully non-verbal, or fully performance-based, or

it may consist of a mixture of items from each category. Verbal tests require subjects to give

verbal responses either orally or in a written form. Therefore, verbal tests can be administered

only to literate people. The non-verbal tests use pictures or illustrations as test items.

History of intelligence tests

Paul Broca (1824-1880) and Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) were among the first

scientists to think about measuring intelligence. They thought they could determine intelligence

by measuring the size of the human skull. They assumed that the larger the skull, the smarter the

person. Around the same time, scientist Wundt, (1920) used introspection - the human ability to

reflect on their own thoughts - as the measure of intelligence. Although Binet (1905) is

considered a pioneer of intelligence testing and his work influenced a vast amount of research

carried out in this field. The basic skills assessed in his tests included areas of general mental

development and judgment. The final scale developed by Binet in 1911, focused on measuring

intelligence rather than academically related information (Rattan & Rattan, 1987).
Building on the Stanford-Binet test, American psychologist Wechsler (1955) created a

new measurement instrument. Wechsler (1955) believed that intelligence involved different

mental abilities. Dissatisfied with the limitations of the Stanford-Binet, he published his new

intelligence test, known as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), in 1955.

Wechsler (1955) also developed two different tests specifically for use with children: the

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale

of Intelligence (WPPSI). The adult version of the test has been revised since its original

publication and is now known as the WAIS-IV.

Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM) (Raven, 1998)

It is a nonverbal test used to measure human intelligence and abstract reasoning. It is

often considered a non-verbal estimate of fluid intelligence. Administered to both groups and

individuals (5-year-olds to the elderly), it is the most common test to test intelligence. It consists

of 60 multiple choice questions, listed in order of increasing difficulty. It is designed to measure

the test taker's reasoning ability, the educative component of Spearman's general intelligence.

The RPM was designed to cover the widest possible range of mental ability and to be equally

useful with persons whatever their education, nationality or physical condition (Raven, 1983).

Development of the test

It was developed by John C. Raven in 1936 and in each test item, the subject is asked to

identify the missing element that completes a pattern. Most of the patterns are presented in the

form of a 6×6, 4×4, 3×3, or 2×2 matrix and the questions consist of visual geometric design with

a missing piece. The test taker is given six to eight choices to pick from and fill in the missing

piece. It was initially developed for use in research into the genetic and environmental origins of

cognitive ability.
Description of the test

It is considered to be culture-fair or culturally reduced in the Raven’s Progressive

Matrices (Raven, 1941, 1981; Raven, Court, & Raven, 1983, 1985). There are two widely used

versions of the test: the Standard and the Colored versions (Naglieri & Prewett, 1990). The test

was introduced in 1938 and has gone through many revisions. Because it is nonverbal, and in

most situations requires little more than having the examinee point to the correct item, it is often

used in situations where examiners want a measure of ability that is not biased by educational

background or by cultural or linguistic deficiencies.

All of the test items are composed of geometric figures that require the test taker to

select among a series of designs the one that most accurately represents or resembles the one

shown in the stimulus material. The test items are presented in graded levels of difficulty and

there are test booklets for different age levels (Motta & Joseph, 2000). Raven’s Matrices are

posed in three different forms for test-takers of different ability:

Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM)

Designed for younger children (ages 5 – 11), older people, and people with learning

issues, these are presented with a colored background to make them more visually stimulating

for participants. A few of the hardest items are in black and white. There are 36 items and this

test takes 15 to 30 minutes to administer. This is the easiest of the Raven’s Progressive Matrices.

Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM)

These are appropriate for children and teens ages 6 – 16. There are 5 sets of 12 items

each (60 in total), with each item becoming progressively more difficult. These are black and

white. Administration takes 40 – 45 minutes. These are more difficult than the Colored

Progressive Matrices.
Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM)

This set contains 48 items – a set of 12 and another set of 36. They are black and white

and become increasingly harder as progress is made through the sets. These questions are geared

toward adults and teenagers of advanced intelligence. Administration takes 40 – 60 minutes.

These are the most difficult of the Raven’s Progressive Matrices.

Raven et al. (1983), describe the Matrices scales as tests of observation and clear

thinking, with the order in which the problems are presented providing. Raven's Standard

Progressive Matrices test (SPM) is known as one of the most ‘pure’ measurements of the g factor

of general intelligence, inferential by Spearman (Holodnaya 2001; Hunt, 2009). The

achievements of SPM are interpreted as a measure of learning ability, which refers to the

generalization of personal experience and the creation of schemes to process complex events

(Raven, 1989).

Raven first published his Progressive Matrices in the United Kingdom in 1938. Later his

three sons established Scotland-based test publisher J C Raven Ltd. in 1972. In 2004, Harcourt

Assessment, Inc. a division of Harcourt Education acquired J C Raven Ltd. Harcourt was later

acquired by Pearson PLC.

The characteristics of the RPM test

There are a number of distinctive features that have made this test one of the most widely

used. These characteristics are given both at the administration level, as well as objectives and

reliability.

Objective

The objective of the Raven Progressive Matrices Test is to measure the eductive capacity of the
person by comparing shapes and using reasoning by analogy and it is independent of the

knowledge previously acquired by the subject.

Material

It is a test that uses a series of abstract and incomplete geometric figures that are

presented to the person gradually and with increasing difficulty. The test can be administered

using printed cards or also virtually.

Administration

Another advantage of this test is that it is capable of being self-administered, as well as

being administered both individually and collectively.

The application time of this test is between 30 and 60 minutes.

Aim of the test

The aim of the test is to measure general human intelligence and abstract reasoning. It is

used to measure the eductive capacity of the person by comparing shapes and using reasoning by

analogy and it is independent of the knowledge previously acquired by the subject.

Why chosen

This test is often chosen as it is economical, culturally fair, provides reliable and valid

scores, is independent of the knowledge previously acquired by the subject, can be self-

administered.

Benefits of Raven’s Progressive Matrices test

1. It works for children and adults, regardless of the person has communication or motor

problems.

2. It is a very economical test to administer.

3. In general, it’s interesting and entertaining for most people.

Since Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) are the original tests, SPM was administered

to the participant. The set of SPM test includes five sets (A, B, C, D, and E) of matrices, each

having twelve black-and-white test items. Each question is increasingly difficult than the one

before. This test is designed for the general population. It can be administered both on an

individual or in a group using pen and paper or virtually. The total time span of this test is

usually between 30 to 60 minutes.

For the purpose of making this report, the test was conducted on an individual virtually.

Surprisingly the participant finished the test quite early (20 minutes). The instructions were

communicated to the participant and his consent was taken before the administration. Apart from

this, the following conditions were kept in mind while administering the test on the participant:

good lighting; comfortable seating; adequate desk space; comfortable positioning of the

computer screen, keyboard, and mouse; a pleasant and professional attitude on the part of the

administrator; and freedom from noise and other distractions.

Scoring of the test

Scoring on the Raven’s Progressive Matrices is based on two factors that are how many

out of 60 matrices problems the tester correctly solved and the age of the tester. Scoring is done

by hand, with the help of a scoring key. Right answers are given 1 mark and wrong answers are

given zero. Then all the marks for each column are added. Thereafter, a single score is obtained

by adding the total scores of the five columns. The percentile score and grade corresponding to

this are noted down from the manual for analysis.

Discrepancy score - The difference between the score a person obtains on each set and

that normally expected for his total score is called the discrepancy score shown numerically as 0,
- 1, +2, -2, +1. If a person’s score on one of the sets deviates by more than 2, his total score on

the scale cannot be expected at its face value as a consistent estimate of his general capacity for

intellectual activity.

Analysis and interpretation of the scores and test

The raw score obtained by the subject was and her score on five sets A, B, C, D, and E

was 12,12 11,12,10 respectively. The discrepancies corresponding to raw scores came out to be

0, 0,1,0,2 respectively. Since the discrepancies are not deviating from +2, -2, the scores are

accepted to be valid measures of a person’s general intellectual capacity. The participant

obtained a percentile score of 95, corresponding to grade 1st. This implies that they have the

capacity to forge new insights and to discern meaning in confusion. They have the ability to

perceive and identify relationships. Their ability to generate new, largely non-verbal concepts,

which make it possible to think, clearly is also. This shows their capacity to think clearly.

Application of the Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test-

Since the test is independent of language, reading, and writing skills, and is quite simple,

the test quickly found widespread practical application. The Raven Progressive Matrices Test is

used as a basic and applied assessment instrument, and its administration can be extended to

many different fields. However, the contexts in which this test is most used are:

Teaching centers and institutions (Mills et al., 2010)

Scores are relatively unaffected by linguistic and ethnic background and can be used as a

good predictor of success in an educational context for both children and adults.

Career guidance and personnel selection centers

Psychological clinics
In clinical settings the reliability of the measures and lack of bias makes them ideal tools

in neuropsychological assessment, working with elderly people and many clinical groups whose

particular needs make the demands of more traditional cognitive testing unrealistic.

Psychological, sociological, and anthropological research centers

The strong theoretical background, lengthy citation count, and application across multiple

languages, ethnic and cultural groups make them ideal tools for investigations requiring

measurements of cognitive abilities in a wide range of organizational, educational, and clinical

settings.

Defense and military contexts

Identification of gifted and talented children (Mills et al., 2010)

Validity and reliability-

Raven et al. (1983) in drawing together these findings concluded that a general picture of

good reliability emerges on the conduction of the test. Burke (1972), suggested that test

reliability seems quite adequate for individual decision making, at least for age ranges above 25.

The concurrent and predictive validities of the SPM vary with the age, sex, the homogeneity of

the sample and the conceptual relevance of the criterion to which the SPM will be related and the

quality of its assessment. For English speaking children and adolescents, reliable correlation of

SPM with the Binet and Wechsler Scales range from .54 to .86 ( Raven,1948;Taibl, 1951; Banks

and Sinha,1951)Some American studies with adults have yielded very high correlations between

SPM and WAIS Scores ( Burke and Bingham,1966;Sheppard et al. 1968).

The Raven's SPM has been claimed to be the purest and best measure of general ability.

Evidence for this is found in research completed by Emmett (1949), Gittins (1952), Nisbet

(1953).
References

BURKE, H. (1966). Raven's progressive matrices—A review and critical evaluation. Readings

in Clinical Psychology, 141-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-1-4832-0087-

3.50011-5

Burke, H. R. (1985). Raven's progressive matrices (1938): More on norms, reliability, and

validity. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 41(2), 231-

235. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(198503)41:2<231::aid-

jclp2270410216>3.0.co;2-z

Dawson, M., Soulières, I., Ann Gernsbacher, M., & Mottron, L. (2007). The level and nature of

autistic intelligence. Psychological Science, 18(8), 657-

662. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01954.x

Denis, D., & Ekaterina, C. (2016). Administration of the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices

with a time limit (Transl. from Rus). Voprosy Psikhologii, 129-

139. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311434628_Administration_of_th

e_Raven%27s_Standard_Progressive_Matrices_with_a_time_limit_Transl_from_Rus

Hallinan, P. (1985). Psychological testing (5th edn) - Anne Anastasi. MacMillan. New York.

1982. xiii & 784. $33.95. The Australian Educational and Developmental

Psychologist, 2(2), 18-18. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0816512200025207

Mills, C. J., Ablard, K. E., & Brody, L. E. (1993). The raven's progressive matrices:Its

usefulness for identifying gifted/talented students. Roeper Review, 15(3), 183-

186. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783199309553500

Raven, J. C. (1936). Raven standard progressive matrices. PsycTESTS

Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/t07027-000
Vass, V. A. (1992). Standardization of raven's standard progressive matrices for secondary

school african pupils in the grahamstown region [Master's

thesis]. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/145054987.pdf
Shivam Garg -
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4 2 8 3 7
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20 minutes 57 1st superior

Snigdha Barnawal