BAROCO Short Syllogism Test
Background
The BAROCO Short is a quick self-administered screening tool to assess general cognitive ability (g) through syllogistic deductive reasoning. It was published in 2011 by Chizuru Shikishima and colleagues who analyzed a 100-item battery of syllogistic problems (the BAROCO II.3) and selected the five problems that showed the highest correlation with IQ for the BAROCO Short.
The BAROCO Short is favored for large-scale, online research because it not only reasonable short, it is also considered to be more difficult for participants to "cheat" as the correct answer to syllogism-solving problems cannot easily be accessed (though the future of AI may change this). Furthermore, the test can be used with participants of a wide age range.
Task Procedure
Participants work on five problems, one problem at a time. The order of the problems is fixed. By default, participants have 5 minutes to work on all problems. Within that time limit, they can go back and forth between the problems. An onscreen timer is optional.
What it Measures
The BAROCO Short assesses general cognitive ability (g) through syllogistic deductive reasoning
Psychological Domains
- Deductive Reasoning: Ability to draw logic conclusions from provided information
- Working Memory: Ability to keep and manipulate information in short term memory storage
- Linguistic Processing: Ability to understand language
- Processing Speed: Ability to quickly and efficiently process information
Main Performance Metrics
- Total Number of Correct Responses
Psychiatric Conditions
The BAROCO Short is primarily used in research and non-clinical settings. Performance on the BAROCO Short shows a distinct developmental trajectory: Scores typically increase during adolescence and show an age-related decline later in life. Participants from lower SES backgrounds tend to perform worse on the test, which researchers attribute to both genetic and environmental factors.
A simple 5-item survey with syllogism problems that correlates with general intelligence
References
Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit BAROCO Short Syllogism Test.
Johnson-Laird, P. N., & Steedman, M. (1978). The psychology of syllogisms. Cognitive Psychology, 10(1), 64–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(78)90019-1
Shikishima, C., Yamagata, S., Hiraishi, K., Sugimoto, Y., Murayama, K., & Ando, J. (2011). A simple syllogism-solving test: Empirical findings and implications for g research. Intelligence, 39, 89-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2011.01.002