Theories of Intelligence Flashcards
Sir Frances Galton (1822-1911)
Father of psychometric testing
Believed IQ is unitary faculty (single capability)
Inherited
Could be measured by assessing sensory discrimination and reaction time
Also measured head sizes and motor coordination
First to approximate intelligence to normal distribution
Alfred Binet (1957-1911)
Was asked to develop test for identifying children with ID
Used tests of higher mental processes
Focused on global ability
Validated based on age and teacher judgement of ability
Tests were practical to administer
1905 Binet-Simon IQ Scale
Age-based tasks (recognizes that ability changes with age)
Proved testing feasible, useful, acceptable to the
public
Edward L. Thorndike (1874-1949)
Believed environment shapes individuals– Importance of education
3 clusters: social intelligence, concrete
intelligence, abstract intelligence
Interconnected but distinct intellectual abilities
Louis L. Thurstone (1887-1955)
Intelligence cannot be regarded as unitary trait
Suggested a group of independent intellectual factors (primary mental abilities)
Developed factor analysis to isolate primary factors
Theorized two factors: verbal-educational factor and a spatial-mechanical factor
J.P. Guilford (1897-1987)
Proposed a multidimensional Structure of
Intellect model of intelligence (1950s)
Matrix of 120 elements that comprise intelligence
Convergent v. Divergent thinking
Raymond B. Cattell (1905-1998)
Proposed 2 types of cognitive abilities:
Fluid (Gf) – innate, related to problem-solving
and reasoning, not correlated with schooling,
decreases with age
Crystallized (Gc) – dependent on cultural and
educational experience, stable
John Horn (his student) collaborated with him later
Charles E. Spearman (1863-1945)
1904 American Journal of Psychology article titled “General Intelligence“
Two factor theory:
g: general ability
s: specific ability
Test/Task is more complex –> more “g-loaded”
g is “mental energy,” a unitary construct
David Wechsler (1896-1981)
“Intelligence is the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally and to deal effectively with his environment" Subscales measure different ways intelligence manifests itself
John B. Carroll (1916-2003)
Hierarchical model of intelligence (3-Stratum Theory)
Stratum 3 – general intelligence (as proposed by Spearman)
Stratum 2 – broad abilities, moderate specialization
Stratum 1 – narrow, specialized abilities (i.e. spelling)
Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Theory
Amalgamation of Gf-Gc theory (Cattell & Horn)
with Three-Stratum theory (Carroll)
Model was expanded by McGrew (1997) and later revised with Flanagan (1998)
Carroll’s Broad Abilities
Fluid intelligence (Gf), Crystalized Intelligence (Gc), General Memory and Learning (Gy), Broad Visual Perception (Gv), Broad Auditory Perception (Gu), Broad Retrieval Ability (Gr), Broad Cognitive Speediness (Gs), Processing Speed (RT Decision Speed) (Gt) (Stratum III: g, general intelligence)
Robert Sternberg (1949- )
Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Componential (analytical)- amount of knowledge and how it’s used, metacognitive awareness
Experiential (creative)- ability to deal with unfamiliar circumstances and tasks (like Gf)
Contextual (practical)- Adaptation to, selection of, and shaping of the environment (no available measures of contextual intelligence/”street smarts”)
Howard Gardner (1943- )
Rejects notion of intelligence as a general capacity
Model of multiple intelligences (no construct validity):
Linguistic, logical, spatial, musical, kinesthetic,
interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, spiritual,
existential (only first 3 are assessed by existing IQ tests)
Daniel Goleman (1946- )
Emotional intelligence
Consists of self-awareness, self-regulation, internal motivation, empathy, and social skills
Grew from observations of TBI victims
Agreement that EI is important but seen more as aspect of personality than intelligence
Arthur Jensen (1923- 2012)
Created enormous controversy in the late 1960’s:
Suggested that racial differences in intelligence test scores may have a genetic origin as well as a cultural deprivation origin
Postulated 2 levels of ability:
Level 1 –spelling, arithmetic, penmanship
Level 2 – higher level abilities, problem-solving
Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002)
Critic of intelligence testing, in part because of its use to justify discrimination of Jews, Irish, Italians, Hispanics and African Americans
1981 book The Mismeasure of Man:
Intelligence cannot be quantified to a single numerical entity
Challenged heredity of IQ
Critiqued biological determinism
Johnson & Bouchard, 2000
CHC dominant theory in 2000
Then J & B published major paper on g-VPR based on Vernon’s 1960’s theory on structure of intelligence with g and two unrelated (orthogonal) factors:
Verbal (educational & perceptual)
Motor (identifying and manipulating objects, math)
g-VPR: 3 stratum
3: g (like Gf)
2: verbal (V, like Gc), perceptual ability to analyze static pictures (P, like Gv), and ability to envision motion of static figures (R, like Gv)
1: Narrow skills like verbal comprehension, perceptual speed, narrow range of rotation
No memory factor (subsumed by broad reasoning (g) or highly specific to type of material being memorized)
Johnson & Bouchard, 2005 (analysis)
Analyzed 3 data sets
1. 400 adults from Minnesota Study of MZ twins raised apart
2. 500+ Dutch seamen in 1960’s
3. Thurstone’s U of Chicago students in 1930’s
All 3 fit g-VPR model best
Vernon’s Hierarchical Theory of Intelligence
highest level: g
Next level: two major group factors: 1. verbal-educational and 2. spatial-mechanical
Next lower level: subdivisions (minor group factors) of the two major group factors
Believed we must consider a general group factor (g) to understand/measure intelligence
Flynn effect
the substantial and long-sustained increase in both fluid and crystallized intelligence test scores measured in many parts of the world from roughly 1930 to the present day
WJ-IV Overview
18 subtests; 7 tests make up GIA
CHC Factors of WJ-IV
Comp-Knowledge (Gc) Fluid Reasoning (Gf) Short-Term Working Memory (Gwm) Cognitive Processing Speed (Gs) Auditory Processing (Ga) Visual Processing (Gv) Long-Term Retrieval (Glr)
