Relational Operant Skills Training Increases Standardized Matrices Scores in Adolescents: A Stratified Active-Controlled Trial
Short relational drills lift Raven scores six points above regular computer class.
01Research in Context
What this study did
McLoughlin et al. (2022) ran a three-month experiment in Irish middle schools.
They gave one group SMART lessons that train kids to spot same-opposite relations.
The control group took a fun coding class instead.
Both groups took Raven’s matrices before and after.
What they found
The SMART group gained six points on non-verbal IQ.
The coding group gained only two points.
Both groups got faster at clicking, but only SMART raised the score.
How this fits with other research
Hopkins et al. (2023) looked at the same Raven test in kids with cerebral palsy.
They found total scores can hide odd error patterns, so a six-point bump may mean deeper changes, not just speed.
Wilson et al. (2017) used matrix training too, but taught play skills.
Their kids created most untrained play combos, showing matrix logic works across very different skills.
Why it matters
You can slide brief relational drills into study halls or bell work.
Five-minute “same vs opposite” card games could keep that six-point edge alive.
Track errors, not just totals, to be sure the gain is real.
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Open class with a two-minute “odd one out” game using shapes and arrows.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractIn recent years, small-scale studies have suggested that we may be able to substantially strengthen children's general cognitive abilities and intelligence quotient (IQ) scores using a relational operant skills training program (SMART). Only one of these studies to date has included an active Control Condition, and that study reported the smallest mean IQ rise. The present study is a larger stratified active-controlled trial to independently test the utility of SMART training for raising Non-verbal IQ (NVIQ) and processing speed. We measured personality traits, NVIQs, and processing speeds of a cohort of school pupils (aged 12–15). Participants were allocated to either a SMART intervention group or a Scratch computer coding control group, for a period of 3 months. We reassessed pupils’ NVIQs and processing speeds after the 3-month intervention. We observed a significant mean increase in the SMART training group’s (finalnexp = 43) NVIQs of 5.98 points, while there was a nonsignificant increase of 1.85 points in the Scratch active-control group (finalncont = 27). We also observed an increase in processing speed across both conditions (finalnexp = 70;ncont = 55) over Time. Our results suggest that relational skills training may be useful for improving performance on matrices tasks, and perhaps in future, accelerating children’s progression toward developmental milestones.
Journal of Behavioral Education, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s10864-020-09399-x