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Evaluating the role of motor regulation in figural fluency: Partialing variance in the Ruff Figural Fluency Test

Figural fluency is often thought to assess the ability to “think fluently and flexibly in the visual-spatial mode” (Ruff, 1988). However, the contribution of motor regulation to the performance of this task has not been previously examined. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential relationship between motor sequence fluency (without a visual-spatial component) and figural fluency. A total of 55 participants (ages 18 to 68 years) were administered (a) the Ruff Figural Fluency Task (RFFT), (b) the Trail Making Test Part B (TMT-B), which overlaps with the RFFT in visual tracking and graphomotor demands, (c) an electronically administered Motor Sequence Fluency Test (MSFT), which overlaps with the RFFT in generation of novel hand movements in the absence of visual stimuli, and (d) a Complex Motor Programming Task. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to determine whether complex motor programming uniquely contributes to RFFT performance above and beyond the processes that are traditionally assumed to be required, as well as to determine whether the ability to generate novel motor sequences uniquely contributes to RFFT performance. Age and education were also added to the regression models in order to determine the contribution of demographic variables to the current findings. Results indicated that age, specific components of motor programming, and nonvisual motor generative fluency represent the most prominent predictors of RFFT performance. Consequently, the role of motor regulation and motor flexibility may in fact be more important for RFFT performance than previously thought, whereas visual-spatial processing may play a lesser role.