In recent years, small-scale studies have suggested that we may be able to substantially strengthen children's general cognitive abilities and intelligence quotient (IQ) scores using a relational operant skills training program (SMART). Only one of these studies to date has included an active Control Condition, and that study reported the smallest mean IQ rise. The present study is a larger stratified active-controlled trial to independently test the utility of SMART training for raising Non-verbal IQ (NVIQ) and processing speed. We measured personality traits, NVIQs, and processing speeds of a cohort of school pupils (aged 12–15). Participants were allocated to either a SMART intervention group or a Scratch computer coding control group, for a period of 3 months. We reassessed pupils’ NVIQs and processing speeds after the 3-month intervention. We observed a significant mean increase in the SMART training group’s (final n_exp = 43) NVIQs of 5.98 points, while there was a nonsignificant increase of 1.85 points in the Scratch active-control group (final n_cont = 27). We also observed an increase in processing speed across both conditions (final n_exp = 70; n_cont = 55) over Time. Our results suggest that relational skills training may be useful for improving performance on matrices tasks, and perhaps in future, accelerating children’s progression toward developmental milestones.

近年来，小规模研究表明，我们可以通过关系操作技能训练计划 (SMART) 显着增强儿童的一般认知能力和智商 (IQ) 分数。迄今为止，这些研究中只有一项包含主动控制条件，并且该研究报告了最小的平均智商上升。本研究是一项更大的分层主动对照试验，旨在独立测试 SMART 训练在提高非语言智商 (NVIQ) 和处理速度方面的效用。我们测量了一群小学生（12-15 岁）的性格特征、NVIQ 和处理速度。参与者被分配到 SMART 干预组或 Scratch 计算机编码对照组，为期 3 个月。在 3 个月的干预后，我们重新评估了学生的 NVIQ 和处理速度。n _exp  = 43) NVIQ 为 5.98 分，而 Scratch 主动控制组无显着增加 1.85 分（最终n _cont  = 27）。我们还观察到随着时间的推移，两种条件下的处理速度都有所提高（最终n _exp  = 70；n _cont  = 55）。我们的研究结果表明，关系技能训练可能有助于提高矩阵任务的表现，并可能在未来加速儿童向发展里程碑的进展。