Raven’s Progressive Matrices Task¶
HED Task ID: hedtsk_ravens_progressive_matrices
Also known as: Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test, Raven’s Progressive Matrices, RPM, Raven’s, Progressive Matrices
Matrix completion items requiring induction of a rule from a 3x3 array of figures; items correct is a standard measure of non-verbal reasoning.
Description¶
Participants view a matrix pattern with a missing element and select the correct completion from a set of alternatives. The patterns involve systematic variations in features such as shape, size, color, orientation, and number, governed by rules that increase in complexity across test items. Solving each item requires extracting the governing rules and applying them to predict the missing element. Raven’s Progressive Matrices is the most widely used culture-reduced measure of fluid intelligence (Gf) and abstract relational reasoning, and is among the most extensively studied psychometric instruments in all of psychology. It has been central to debates about the neural basis of general intelligence, g-loading, and the structure of reasoning.
Inclusion test¶
Procedure |
Participants view a 3×3 matrix of geometric patterns with one cell missing and select the pattern that completes the matrix from a set of alternatives. |
Manipulation |
Number of relational rules to integrate; rule types (distribution of values, quantitative progression, figure addition); number of response options. |
Measurement |
Number correct (raw score, often converted to IQ-scale); accuracy by item difficulty; response time. |
Variations¶
Variation |
Description |
Justification |
|---|---|---|
Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) |
60 items in 5 sets (A–E) of increasing difficulty; the most widely used version. |
Canonical general ability measure |
Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) |
36 more difficult items for high-ability adults; used in cognitive neuroscience research. |
Harder item set for higher ability; different item difficulty range |
Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM) |
Easier version for children (aged 5–11), the elderly, and clinical populations. |
Colored figures, simpler items for children/elderly; different stimulus format |
Computerized Adaptive Version |
Item difficulty adjusted in real time based on performance. |
Per §5.6: adaptive algorithm changes which items presented; procedural change beyond interface |
Matrix Reasoning (WAIS subtest) |
Similar principle but part of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale; brief screener format. |
Standardized 26-item version with WAIS norms; named published instrument |
Sandia Matrices |
Algorithmically generated Raven’s-like items with controlled rule complexity for experimental manipulation. |
Open-source item set with verified psychometrics; distinct published test |
Time-Limited vs. Untimed Administration |
Power test (untimed) vs. speeded versions; affects what the test measures. |
Time pressure changes response strategy and performance profile |
Shortened Versions (15-Item) |
Brief 15-item forms developed for quick screening, particularly for children and adolescents; trade test reliability for reduced administration time. |
Abbreviated protocols validated for efficiency; recognized published short form |
Cognitive processes¶
This task engages the following cognitive processes:
Key references¶
{‘authors’: ‘Carpenter, P. A., Just, M. A., & Shell, P.’, ‘year’: 1990, ‘title’: ‘What one intelligence test measures: A theoretical account of the processing in the Raven Progressive Matrices Test.’, ‘venue’: ‘Psychological Review’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Psychological Review’, ‘volume’: ‘97’, ‘issue’: ‘3’, ‘pages’: ‘404-431’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1037/0033-295x.97.3.404’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Carpenter, P. A., Just, M. A., & Shell, P. (1990). What one intelligence test measures: A theoretical account of the processing in the Raven Progressive Matrices Test. Psychological Review, 97(3), 404–431.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.97.3.404’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Gray, J. R., Chabris, C. F., & Braver, T. S.’, ‘year’: 2003, ‘title’: ‘Neural mechanisms of general fluid intelligence’, ‘venue’: ‘Nature Neuroscience’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Nature Neuroscience’, ‘volume’: ‘6’, ‘issue’: ‘3’, ‘pages’: ‘316-322’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1038/nn1014’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Gray, J. R., Chabris, C. F., & Braver, T. S. (2003). Neural mechanisms of general fluid intelligence. Nature Neuroscience, 6(3), 316–322.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1014’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
Recent references¶
{‘authors’: ‘Prabhakaran, V., Smith, J. A., Desmond, J. E., Glover, G. H., & Gabrieli, J. D.’, ‘year’: 1997, ‘title’: “Neural Substrates of Fluid Reasoning: An fMRI Study of Neocortical Activation during Performance of the Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test”, ‘venue’: ‘Cognitive Psychology’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Cognitive Psychology’, ‘volume’: ‘33’, ‘issue’: ‘1’, ‘pages’: ‘43-63’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1006/cogp.1997.0659’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: “Prabhakaran, V., Smith, J. A. L., Desmond, J. E., Glover, G. H., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (1997). Neural substrates of fluid reasoning: An fMRI study of neocortical activation during performance of the Raven’s Progressive Matrices test. Cognitive Psychology, 33(1), 43–63.”, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1006/cogp.1997.0659’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Kievit, R. A., Davis, S. W., Griffiths, J., Correia, M. M., Cam-CAN, & Henson, R. N.’, ‘year’: 2016, ‘title’: ‘A watershed model of individual differences in fluid intelligence’, ‘venue’: ‘Neuropsychologia’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Neuropsychologia’, ‘volume’: ‘91’, ‘issue’: None, ‘pages’: ‘186-198’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.08.008’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Kievit, R. A., Davis, S. W., Griffiths, J., Correia, M. M., Cam-CAN, & Henson, R. N. (2016). A watershed model of individual differences in fluid intelligence. Neuropsychologia, 91, 186–198.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.08.008’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Matzen, L. E., Benz, Z. O., Dixon, K. R., Posey, J., Kroger, J. K., & Speed, A. E.’, ‘year’: 2010, ‘title’: ‘Recreating Raven’s: Software for systematically generating large numbers of Raven-like matrix problems with normed properties’, ‘venue’: ‘Behavior Research Methods’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Behavior Research Methods’, ‘volume’: ‘42’, ‘issue’: ‘2’, ‘pages’: ‘525-541’, ‘doi’: ‘10.3758/brm.42.2.525’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: “Matzen, L. E., Benz, Z. O., Dixon, K. R., Posey, J., Kroger, J. K., & Speed, A. E. (2010). Recreating Raven’s: Software for systematically generating large numbers of Raven-like matrix problems with normed properties. Behavior Research Methods, 42(2), 525–541.”, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.3758/brm.42.2.525’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Hayes, T. R., Petrov, A. A., & Sederberg, P. B.’, ‘year’: 2015, ‘title’: ‘Do we really become smarter when our fluid-intelligence test scores improve?’, ‘venue’: ‘Intelligence’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Intelligence’, ‘volume’: ‘48’, ‘issue’: None, ‘pages’: ‘1-14’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1016/j.intell.2014.10.005’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Hayes, T. R., Petrov, A. A., & Sederberg, P. B. (2015). Do we really become smarter when our fluid-intelligence test scores improve? Intelligence, 48, 1–14.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2014.10.005’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}