Raven’s Progressive Matrices
a nonverbal test of mental ability consisting of abstract designs, each of which is missing one part. The participant chooses the missing component from several alternatives to complete each design. The test comprises 60 designs arranged in five groups of 12; the items within each group become progressively more difficult. Scales of different levels of difficulty are available for children and adults, but all require some degree of logic and analytic ability. The test, published in 1938, is often viewed as the prototypical measure of general intelligence. A version of this test, Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices, comprises 36 designs printed on colored backgrounds and arranged in three groups of 12. Designed especially for children and older adults, the items within each group become progressively more difficult but overall are simpler and easier to solve than those on the standard matrices. [John C. Raven (1902–1970), British
psychologist]