MaRs Task

Abstract

Existing non-verbal ability tests are typically protected by copyright, preventing them from being freely adapted or computerised. Working towards an open science framework, we provide 80 novel, open-access abstract reasoning items, an online implementation and item-level data from 659 participants aged between 11 and 33 years: the matrix reasoning item bank (MaRs-IB). Each MaRs-IB item consists of an incomplete matrix containing abstract shapes. Participants complete the matrices by identifying relationships between the shapes. Our data demonstrate age differences in non-verbal reasoning accuracy, which increased during adolescence and stabilized in early adulthood. There was a slight linear increase in response times with age, resulting in a peak in efficiency (i.e. a measure combining speed and accuracy) in late adolescence. Overall, the data suggest that the MaRs-IB is sensitive to developmental differences in reasoning accuracy. Further psychometric validation is recommended.

Paper

Chierchia, G.*, Fuhrmann, D.*, Knoll, L.J., Piera Pi-Sunyer, B., Sakhardande, A. L. & Blakemore,S.-J. (2019). The Matrix Reasoning Item Bank (MaRs-IB): Novel, Open-Access Abstract Reasoning Items for Adolescents and Adults. Royal Society Open Science, 6(10). *Joint first authors. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.190232

Task

https://gorilla.sc/openmaterials/36164 

The task can be freely previewed and cloned using the link.

Open-Science Framework Materials

https://osf.io/

This repository contains items (puzzles) and item-level statistics described in the paper.

Reuse: Researchers may use any of the materials provided here for academic and non-commercial purposes only as they are either owned by or licensed to the researchers, their institutions or Cauldron Science. In relation to such use we ask that you cite the paper referenced above.

The materials are provided for use at your own risk and neither the researchers, their institutions, nor Cauldron Science provide any warranties of any kind nor does any of them accept responsibility for any conclusions that you draw from their use.

Relevant Papers/Preprints

Nussenbaum, K., Scheuplein, M., Phaneuf, C. V., Evans, M. D., & Hartley, C. A. (2020). Moving developmental research online: comparing in-lab and web-based studies of model-based reinforcement learning. Collabra: Psychology, 6(1).

Chierchia, G., Piera Pi-Sunyer, B., & Blakemore, S. J. (2020). Prosocial influence and opportunistic conformity in adolescents and young adults. Psychological Science, 31(12), 1585-1601.

Zorowitz, S., Chierchia, G., Blakemore, S-J. & Daw, N. D. (2023). An item response theory analysis of the Matrix Reasoning Item Bank (MaRs-IB). Behavior Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-023-02067-8