Mapping the evolving core of intelligence: Changing relations between executive control, reasoning, language, and awareness

•A minimally inferential core underlies reasoning, awareness, and language processes.•The common core relates to attention control, shifting flexibility, and working memory.•Relations between the common core and executive processes vary with development.•An overarching theory going beyond traditional psychometric and developmental theories needed.

We explored relations between attention control, shifting flexibility, working memory, reasoning in different domains, awareness about reasoning, and language from 9 to 15 years of age. For this aim 198 9-, 11-, 13-, and 15-years old participants were examined with tasks addressed to all processes. All processes developed systematically throughout the period studied. Structural equation modeling revealed a powerful common construct underlying reasoning and language processes. All domain-specific cognitive, language, or awareness processes represented this common factor equally well. This factor was related to attention control, shifting flexibility, and working memory but this relation varied with development, being dominated by attention control at 9-11, inferential-representational processes at 11-13, and awareness-symbolic processes at 13-15. Piecewise linear modeling showed that transition points between phases are marked by phase-dominating processes. Modeling ability and age differentiation with increasing g suggested some ability differentiation at the end of developmental cycles suggesting that g-ability relations are re-worked anew in successive developmental cycles. Implications for developmental, cognitive, and brain science are discussed.