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Raven's
Progressive Matrices
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BACKGROUND TO THE RPM
The Raven's Progressive Matrices can be described as "tests
of observation and clear thinking". Each problem
in the Test is really the mother or "Source"
of a system of thought while the order in which the problems
are presented provides training in the method of working.
Hence the name "Progressive Matrices".
The
first form of the Progressive Matrices test to be developed
was the Standard series. This was designed to cover the
whole range of ability from low-scoring respondents and
young children, through high-scoring adults, to those
of old age. To spread the scores — and thereby facilitate
analysis — at respectively, the lower and upper ranges
of ability, the Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) and
the Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) were developed.
Together, at the time of their development these three
tests enabled most needs to be met.
As
we have seen, by the late 1980s the cross-cultural increase
in scores had meant that there was a marked ceiling effect
among youths and young adults on the SPM, while the APM
was yielding an excellent distribution across the entire
adult population. In addition, some users felt that the
existing CPM and SPM had become too well known for the
scores to be trusted. Accordingly, work was put in hand
to develop versions of the tests which would (a) parallel
the existing tests, both on an item-by-item and total
score basis (so that all the existing normative and research
data would be applicable). and (b) restore the SPM and
APM's discriminative power at the upper levels of ability.
However
the decision about what to do about the increase in scores
was not, straightforward because, while resulting in a
lack of discrimination among able young adults, it also
resulted in the SPM offering excellent discrimination
among less able older adults. In the end, it was decided
to publish both exactly parallel versions of the SPM and
CPM and a version of the SPM which, while retaining most
of the easy items, restored its discriminative power among
more able young adults (SPM Plus).
RPM-MATRICES
|
The
Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) |
Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) |
The
Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) |
| The
Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM)
|
CPM
The
Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM), from which
Sets C, D, and E of the Standard series have been
omitted, but into which an additional set of 12
problems (Set Ab) has been interpolated between
Sets A and B, is designed to assess with greater
precision the intellectual processes of young
children, mentally retarded persons and the elderly.
The coloured backgrounds on which the problems
are printed attract attention, make the test spontaneously
interesting, and obviate the need for too much
verbal instruction. Success in Set A depends on
a person's ability to complete continuous patterns
which, towards the end of the set, change first
in one, and then in two, directions at the same
time. Success in Set Ab depends on a persons ability
to see discrete figures as spatially related wholes,
and to choose figures which complete the design.
Set B contains just sufficient problems involving
analogies to show whether or not a person is capable
of thinking in this way. The last few problems
in Set B are of the same order of difficulty as
the early problems in Sets C, D, and E of the
Standard Test. To facilitate transition from the
Coloured to the Standard series, the last few
problems of Set B are printed in the Coloured
version exactly as they appear in the Standard
Test. In this way, a person who succeeds in solving
these problems can proceed without interruption
to Sets C, D and E so that total capacity for
intellectual activity can be more accurately assessed.
When appropriate, the score on the intermediate
Set Ab can be omitted, and the total score on
Sets A, B, C, D and E used to assess the percentile
grade in accordance with the norms for the Standard
Test. This will usually agree with the percentile
grade on Sets A, Ab, and B. but where the intellectual
capacity to form comparisons and reason by analogy
has matured, the SPM score is likely to be the
more reliable and psychologically valid. Before
the capacity to form comparisons and reason by
analogy has matured, or in cases where it has
become impaired, the CPM will indicate the degree
of development or deterioration, of a person's
capacity for observation and clear thinking. After
this capacity has matured, the SPM will assess
a person's intellectual capacity relative to other
people of the same age.
Answer
Sheets for the Parallel CPM and SPM and SPM Plus
As
has been explained, the parallel versions of the
CPM and SPM were developed to foil respondents
who have memorised the correct answers. To help
to ensure this, the position of the correct answer
among the options on each item differs from that
in the Classic versions of the tests. This is
also the case for SPM Plus. It is therefore essential
to ensure that the Answer Sheets and/or Scoring
Keys selected correspond to the test used.
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| Advanced
Progressive Matrices (APM) |
APM
The
Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) offers a means
of: (i) enquiring into the nature of high-level
eductive ability (ii) spreading the scores of
the more able — which has become particularly
important in the light of the previously documented
increase in scores over the years: and (iii) assessing
speed of accurate intellectual work. Set I consists
of only 12 problems. It is generally used to establish
a field of thought for respondents and provide
them with training in the method of working. However,
it can also be used, under timed or untimed conditions,
to obtain a rapid index of eductive ability or
efficiency. Set I is normally followed immediately
by Set II, although respondents can be allowed
to take the first set away several days before
testing in order to practise. Set II consists
of 36 problems, arranged in ascending order of
difficulty. As a result, it is not necessary for
everyone to attempt every problem before stopping.
By imposing a time limit, Set II can therefore
be used to assess "intellectual efficiency".
Although this is generally closely related to
capacity for orderly thinking, this is not always
the case and the two must not be confused with
each other.
An
index of intellectual efficiency is particularly
useful when assessing suitability for work in
which quick, accurate, judgements are needed,
or when, as in some kinds of clinical work, one
requires an assessment of a person's slowness
of thinking.
Despite
the fact that the APM now yields an excellent
discrimination across the entire adult ability
range, it cannot be unreservedly recommended for
general use. This is partly because the cyclical
format of the SPM offers five successive opportunities
for those taking the test to acquire a sense of
what is required and develop an appropriate method
of working. The SPM is therefore to be preferred
if it is considered that some respondents would
benefit from practice. Other advantages of the
SPM are:
Lower-scoring respondents encounter fewer problems
that are too difficult for them, and, as a result,
have a more positive experience.
There is more research data for the SPM, including
seperate norms for different sub-populations.
As an untimed test, it is less stressful for respondents.
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| Standard
Progressive Matrices (SPM) |
SPM
The
Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) is divided
into five Sets of twelve problems (Sets A, B,
C, D, and E). Each Set starts with a problem which
is, as far as possible, self-evident and develops
a theme in the course of which the problems build
on the argument of what has gone before and thus
become progressively more difficult. This procedure
provides the respondent with five opportunities
to become familiar with the field and method of
thought required to solve the problems. Administered
in the standard way, the test therefore provides
a built-in training programme and indexes the
ability to learn from experience or learning potential".
The cyclical format also provides an opportunity
to assess the consistency of a person's intellectual
activity across five successive lines of thinking.
The test length was carefully constructed to be
just sufficiently long to assess a person's maximum
capacity for coherent perception and orderly judgement
without being too exhausting or unwieldy.
It
has unfortunately proved impossible to fully retain
this structure in the SPM Plus, although it is
hoped that a reasonable compromise has been reached
by retaining all the items in the first two Sets,
introducing more difficult items, and eliminating
many items from the third to fifth Sets in the
original.
Sometimes
it is important to know a person's speed of accurate
intellectual work, as distinct from the total
capacity for orderly thinking. As the SPM is arranged
into five Sets, each of which begins with simple
problems and grows increasingly difficult, a person's
speed of intellectual work cannot be measured
from the number of problems solved in a fixed
time. Use of the SPM with an overall time limit
results in an uneven and invalid distribution
of scores because some people devote a great deal
of time attempting later problems of, say, Set
D while others skip over them and greatly enhance
their scores by correctly solving the easier items
of Set E. This problem can be overcome by timing
each Set separately. Until recently, this was
the normal way of administering the test in Australia.
However, the procedure is cumbersome, and the
desired information can be obtained more easily
using the Advanced Progressive
Matrices.
Answer
Sheets for the Parallel CPM and
SPM and SPM Plus
As
has been explained, the parallel versions of the
CPM and SPM were developed to foil respondents
who have memorised the correct answers. To help
to ensure this, the position of the correct answer
among the options on each item differs from that
in the Classic versions of the tests. This is
also the case for SPM Plus. It is therefore essential
to ensure that the Answer Sheets and/or Scoring
Keys selected correspond to the test used.
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