Intelligence and parallel versus sequential organization of information processing in analogical reasoning

The construct of the organization of information processing (OIP) has been adopted as a possible cognitive mechanism responsible for human intelligent functioning. Participants (N = 77) were asked to solve an analogical reasoning task, a test of divided attention, a working memory capacity test, and Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices as a standard test of general fl uid intelligence. On the basis of the chronometric analysis of their performance in the analogy task, participants were divided into those preferring to use parallel or sequential modes of organization of information processing. It appeared that intelligent people using the parallel mode of processing obtained the best results in the analogical reasoning test. Other subgroups did not differ substantially from one another. It also appeared that intelligent people using the parallel mode of processing performed equally well regardless of their attentional resources and working memory capacity, whereas people using the sequential mode of processing were much more dependent on these basic cognitive limitations. A compensatory mechanism is suggested in order to account for this data: the parallel mode of processing probably helps to compensate for defi cient attention or impaired working memory, whereas the sequential mode cannot act in a compensatory way.