In cognitive psychology, which type of intelligence refers to our ability to reason quickly and think abstractly, and is known to decline in late adulthood?

• A. Crystallized intelligence
• B. Social intelligence
• C. Emotional intelligence
• D. Fluid intelligence

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the two main types of intelligence in cognitive psychology: crystallized intelligence and fluid intelligence.
2. Recognize that crystallized intelligence involves accumulated knowledge and skills gained through experience and education, which tends to remain stable or improve with age.
3. Identify fluid intelligence as the ability to reason quickly, think abstractly, and solve new problems independently of acquired knowledge.
4. Note that fluid intelligence typically peaks in early adulthood and declines in late adulthood due to changes in cognitive processing speed and working memory.
5. Conclude that the type of intelligence described in the problem—reasoning quickly and thinking abstractly, which declines in late adulthood—is fluid intelligence.