Fluid reasoning is a cognitive ability that involves the capacity to think logically and solve problems in novel situations, independent of acquired knowledge. It is the ability to take in new information without the benefit of practice or experience and apply logic and past knowledge to think flexibly and master new skills. Fluid reasoning is often referred to as abstract reasoning or novel problem-solving. It is an essential component of cognitive development and serves as a scaffold for children, helping them acquire other abilities. Fluid reasoning accurately predicts performance in school, university, and cognitively demanding occupations.
Fluid reasoning is measured through IQ tests, where individuals are presented with patterns and puzzles they have never seen before and are given only brief directions and no specific methods or strategies. The Matrix Reasoning task in the WISC-V is an example of a fluid reasoning task that requires recognizing the pattern and carrying it forward.
Fluid reasoning correlates with other aspects of intelligence, meaning it taps into aspects of a persons visual processing, comprehension of verbal concepts and facts, as well as the efficient application and syncing of this knowledge. It is an important skill that aids in a persons ability to detect underlying concepts or relationships between topics/ideas in order to problem solve.
Fluid reasoning is the most general cognitive ability of all cognitive abilities ever measured by intelligence researchers, explaining the most amount of variance in all of the other cognitive abilities. It is a foundational and important set of cognitive skills that aid in a childs ability to problem solve with new information. Gifted children engage in fluid reasoning much more than the average child and enjoy stretching beyond the content in creative ways and relish complexity.
