Fluid Intelligence - This is basically the ability to reason quickly and to think abstractly. This peaks in our early adulthood, as the graph shows, and as we grow older, our fluid intelligence decreases. We tend to forget things more easily.
Crystallized Intelligence - This refers to the knowledge and skills that are accumulated over a lifetime. It involves learning, knowledge, and skills, and increases with age as we become more and more experienced.
On Mondays, I teach my oldest student. As I taught him today, I really started to notice how age affects one's ability to learn and acquire new skills. For example, we were clapping out rhythm sheets that I do with every student. I could see that in his mind, he knew how it was supposed to sound, but it was really a struggle for him to clap it out. Every time he made a mistake, he would stop, say, "That was wrong", and start over. I started to feel bad for him after a while. He was getting frustrated because his mind just doesn't work the way mine does. Not anymore, at least. His fluid intelligence has really decreased, and I can see that. It's not just that though. I have been blessed with musical talent. I know that. He, on the other hand, was blessed with the mind of an engineer. That was his life before he reached the age of retirement. He over-analyzes details and tends to look at the mechanics of playing the piano rather than just listening to the music he creates. This is pretty much how we work:
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| His mind |
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| My mind |
Well done!
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