A Standardisation study of the Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices in Ghana

Abstract

The Raven’s Progressive Matrices test was developed as a test of Spearman’s concept of general intelligence or index of g which measures an ability that is not influenced by external factors. The purpose of this study was to develop local norms for children in Ghana and to test the hypothesis that test scores on the progressive matrices are not influenced by socio- cultural factors. Seven hundred and sixty-three children selected from both urban and rural locations were administered with the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices. We found expected gradual developmental change in scores associated with increase in age. This increase was different for children from urban and rural populations. Children from rural areas consistently lagged behind in test scores and this difference got bigger between nine and eleven years. We associate the difference between urban and rural children to differences in socio-economic opportunities and conclude that these are two different populations and therefore need to have different comparative norms. The findings also challenge the perceived notion that the progressive matrices measures ability that are not influenced by education and cultural factors.

Keywords: Children, cognitive assessment, general intelligence, Ghana, RCPM