Developmental <b><i>g:</i></b> Lost in the Construct Jungle

Demetriou, Makris, Spanoudis, Kazi, Shayer, and Kazali [2018, this issue] pre sent an ambitious theory that integrates two lines of inquiry: research on the structure of intelligence and research on cognitive development. The key claims of their theory are that (a) general intelligence (g) is constituted by attention control, flexibility, working memory, cognizance, and inference; (b) the relations between the processes constituting g change with development, and (c) the interactions between the five processes are coordinated by a mechanism that includes abstraction, representational alignment, and cognizance. Demetriou et al. summarize a remarkable set of theoretical and empirical research in support of their theory. It has become rare to see a theory with such a broad scope. At the same time, any ambitious theory requires clarification and generates a lot of questions to be addressed by future research. In our commentary, we raise questions with respect to the relations between executive control (or executive function [EF] as it is usually called) and g, the developmental cycles, and the implications of the theory of Demetriou et al. for real-time dynamic cognitive functioning. As Demetriou et al. point out, there are numerous studies that show strong relations between EF and g. Several interpretations of this relation have been provided, and consensus has not been reached [Blair, 2006]. Both constructs have been consistently defined in terms of sets of interactive cognitive abilities that facilitate our understanding of complex ideas and situations, allowing us to sort out environmental contingencies and guide the production of behaviors needed for effective problem solving and adaptation to the environment [for a discussion, see Duggan & Garcia-Barrera, 2015]. Given the strong relations between EF and g, it is very important to situate clearly the commonalities and differences between these two constructs. However, Demetriou and colleagues’ treatment of this issue is not entirely satisfactory. To start, they do not