Raven's Progressive Matrices

Developed by British psychologist J. C. Raven and first published in 1938, the progressive matrices (PM) tests measure the ability to deduce relationships within geometric patterns or among figural elements contained in a matrix. Items employ either a complete pattern from which a piece has been removed, or figural elements placed in discrete rows and columns, with one element missing. The missing element must be selected from six or eight answer choices presented. These tests reportedly assess the ability to impose meaning on confusion, to formulate nonverbal constructs to explain complex relationships, and to minimize the influences of verbal communication and past experience (J. Raven, J. C. Raven, & Court, 1998, p. 1). Keywords: intelligence measures; nonverbal intelligence tests; cross-cultural tests; culture-fair tests; general intelligence tests