P300 correlates with learning & memory abilities and fluid intelligence

Background: Educational psychology research has linked fluid intelligence with learning and memory abilities and
neuroimaging studies have specifically associated fluid intelligence with event related potentials (ERPs). The objective of
this study is to find the relationship of ERPs with learning and memory recall and predict the memory recall score using
P300 (P3) component.
Method: A sample of thirty-four healthy subjects between twenty and thirty years of age was selected to perform three
tasks: (1) Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) test to assess fluid intelligence; (2) learning and memory task to
assess learning ability and memory recall; and (3) the visual oddball task to assess brain-evoked potentials. These subjects
were divided into High Ability (HA) and Low Ability (LA) groups based on their RAPM scores. A multiple regression
analysis was used to predict the learning & memory recall and fluid intelligence using P3 amplitude and latency.
Results: Behavioral results demonstrated that the HA group learned and recalled 10.89 % more information than
did the LA group. ERP results clearly showed that the P3 amplitude of the HA group was relatively larger than that
observed in the LA group for both the central and parietal regions of the cerebrum; particularly during the 300–400 ms
time window. In addition, a shorter latency for the P3 component was observed at Pz site for the HA group compared
to the LA group. These findings agree with previous educational psychology and neuroimaging studies which reported
an association between ERPs and fluid intelligence as well as learning performance.
Conclusion: These results also suggest that the P3 component is associated with individual differences in learning and
memory recall and further indicate that P3 amplitude might be used as a supporting factor in standard psychometric
tests to assess an individual’s learning & memory recall ability; particularly in educational institutions to aid in the
predictability of academic skills.