Theories of Intelligence

INTERACTIONISM

the theories of Binet,

Wechsler and Piaget are examples. It refers to
the complex concept by which heredity and
the environment are presumed to interact and
influence the development of intelligence.
FACTOR-ANALYTIC THEORIES focus is on
identifying the ability or group of abilities
deemed to constitute intelligence.
INFORMATION-PROCESSING THEORIES focus
is on identifying the specific mental processes
that constitute intelligence.

Factor Analytic Theories

Factor

Analysis methodology used to

determine the structure of intelligence, its
underlying components as well as the
relationship between the components.
Method of FA Administer several tests
that measure different abilities related with
intelligence and then correlate the scores
on these tests. These correlations are
presented in the form of a correlation
matrix and are subjected to a FA statistical
table that allows for an organization of the
different factors involved.

Spearmans g factor or twofactor theory:

1.

All

mental tasks call for the use of the g factor

in varying degrees, thus accounting for the
difference in difficulty levels.
It was characterized as electrochemical energy,
which plays a role in the intellectual world
similar to the role played by physical energy in
the physical world.
It activates the brain to engage in problem
solving behaviour, directs behaviour towards a
goal and selects appropriate behaviour to
reach a goal.

The

tasks that he pointed out were

heavily loaded with the g factor were
those like grasping the relationship
between what might appear to be
different, abstracting similarities, etc.
His tests included the following
Analogies, sentence completion,
understanding paragraphs,
opposites, resemblances, inferences
etc.

On

analyzing the correlations

between different tests, he found
that the magnitude of correlation
was determined by the amount of
g in both the tests.
The highest correlation was
found between analogies and
opposites.
A low correlation could indicate
that both tests are low on g or

The

fact that many

intercorrelations between tests
were in the range of moderate to
low led Spearman to propose
another type of factors, the s
factor/s.
An s factor is one that is
distinctive of a single mental task
or a single mental activity.
Examples visual, motor ability.

Further

research led Spearman and

his colleagues to propose a third type
of factors known as group factors.
A group factor is one that is shared by
some mental tasks, but not all mental
tasks. It lies intermediate between g
on one hand and s on the other. For
example verbal group factor for all
verbal tasks like dictation,
comprehension, reading etc.

Spearman

believed that as the g factor

is most important in intelligence tests,
such tests should be constructed with a
heavy loading of g as g is the best
predictor of real life, nontest situations
that require intelligence.
Abstract reasoning tasks best measure
of g.
Ravens SPM and Cattells Culture Fair
Intelligence test are abstract intelligence
tests considered good measures of g.

2.

Thorndikes Multifactor
Theory
According to Thorndike,
intelligence is composed of a
multitude of highly specific
factors (s factors), each factor
being a very tiny segment of
ability.
Any one mental task involves a
number of these minute abilities

Two

mental tasks would be

positively correlated with each other
if they had some of these minute
elements in common.
For Thorndike, there is no concept
as general intelligence.
The number of specific factors
identified by any researcher
depends on how refined an analysis
the researcher wishes to make.

Hence,

this theory has often been called

an atomistic theory as it emphasizes
tiny elements of intelligence.
Thorndike came to acknowledge the
existence of group factors of
intelligence and he developed a battery
of IQ tests called the CAVD battery of
tests consisting of 4 subtests Sentence
Completion, Arithmetic, Vocabulary and
following Directions (Measures of
abstract intelligence).

Apart

from abstract intelligence,

Thorndike also recognized social
intelligence and concrete
intelligence.
While abstract intelligence deals
with symbols, social intelligence
deals with people and concrete
intelligence with things/physical
entities.

3.

Thurstones Group factor

theory of intelligence

According

to Thurstone, certain
mental tasks/activities have in
common a primary factor which gives
those activities functional unity and
cohesiveness i.e. it binds the tasks
into one group.
Another group of tasks/activities will
have another primary factor binding
them into another group.

These

primary factors, viewed as

group factors, are fairly
independent of each other.
Based on the FA of the tests that
he uses in his research, he
determined that there are 7
Primary Mental Abilities (PMA).
Verbal (V), Numerical (N), Word
Fluency (W), Spatial Ability (S),
Reasoning (R), Memory (M) and

Thurstones

PMA battery was the

1st MATB to be developed.
Although he believed that each
of the PMAs was relatively
independent, he found that for
younger school children there
were high positive
intercorrelations between the
tests.

Hence,

he concluded that a
second order general factor
existed that was specially strong
at a younger age when
intelligence is undifferentiated.
With age and education,
intelligence becomes more
specialized.
His MATB provided an overall
measure of a persons

In conclusion
Although

Spearmans,
Thorndikes and Thurstones
theories began with different
starting points, they all finally
arrive at considerable agreement
with each other.
It depends on the type of tests
that are used, which could either
give evidence for a g factor
(more homogenous tests) or
those that give evidence for s or

Theories of the types of

intelligence
Gardners

Theory of Multiple
Intelligence
Gardner spoke of 7 types of intelligence
Logical/Mathematical,
Bodily/Kinesthetic, Linguistic, Spatial,
Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal.
Interpersonal intelligence is similar to
Thorndikes social intelligence defined
as the ability to understand people, how
they function, what motivates them and
how to work cooperatively with them.

Intrapersonal

intelligence is
defined as the capacity to form
an accurate model of oneself and
to be able to use that model to
operate effectively in life
Both these two types of
intelligence have been borrowed
by Daniel Goldman in his
understanding of EQ and EI.

Raymond

Cattells theory of 2
types of intelligence
Is the basis of other theories of
intelligence in recent times
Cattell differentiated between
Crystallized (Gc) and Fluid (Gf)
Intelligence

Crystallized

intelligence refers to
acquired knowledge that is dependent
on exposure to a certain culture as well
as exposure to some sort of formal
education. For example, a persons
vocabulary.
Fluid intelligence consists of abilities
that are more nonverbal in nature,
culture free as well as relatively
independent of education. For example,
memory for digits.

Horn,

building on Cattells ideas,

proposed the addition of other
factors in addition to Cattells 2
Visual Processing (Gv), Auditory
Processing (Ga), Quantitative
Processing (Gq), Speed of
processing (Gs), Facility with
reading and writing (Grw), shortterm memory (Gsm) and longterm storage and retrieval (Glr).

According

to Horn, some of these

abilities or factors are
vulnerable abilities and some
are maintained abilities.
Vulnerable abilities like Gv and
Ga decline with age and do not
return to preinjury levels after
any brain damage to those areas
that control these activities.

Maintained

abilities like Gq do
not decline with age and they
could return to preinjury or close
to preinjury levels even after
brain damage.