The smartest is not the one who thinks the fastest, says study – 04/08/2023 – Science

Defining intelligence remains a challenge for science, despite centuries of research. Many doubt the validity of methods to measure it, such as IQ tests, and the unstoppable rise of artificial intelligence (AI) further problematizes the concept.

However, a notion has persisted: that the highest degrees of human intelligence would be associated with a faster processing of information – what is called mental speed.

A study published in the journal Nature Communicationhowever, also calls into question this widespread hypothesis: its three authors demonstrated that those who are more intelligent take longer to solve complex problems, as they are less likely to jump to conclusions.

In the context of the Human Connectome Project, Michael Schirner and Petra Ritter, from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Gustavo Deco, from the University of Pompeu Fabra, in Barcelona, ​​submitted 1,176 individuals to a reasoning test, subsequently analyzing the relationship between performance and the reaction times.

It was shown that, although they solved easier problems faster, participants with higher intelligence scores took longer to solve more difficult ones, as they spent more time deciphering certain aspects before arriving at a solution.

Coordinating sensory data and decisions

The study on “how the network structure configures decision-making for biologically inspired computing” further suggested that intelligence implies greater synchrony between the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain. The frontal lobe plays an important role in attention and decision-making, while the parietal collects sensory information.

The scientists generated personalized models of the brain networks of 650 of the participants. To do so, they combined individual connectivity data, obtained through brain tracking, with generic models of neuronal circuits for decision-making.

The comparison revealed that those who took longer to solve difficult tasks had more fronto-parietal connectivity at rest, in addition to greater synchrony between both regions.

This runs counter to the common assumption that greater intelligence implies a faster brain. In more complex circumstances, a balance between speed and accuracy is needed, allowing you to make better decisions.

Thus, while faster and more automatic processing is suitable for deciding on simple tasks, slower and more laborious reasoning, favoring the gradual understanding of relevant information, can be more effective in solving more complex issues.