traditional theories of intelligence

Question 1

Who developed the theory of general intelligence and when

Answer 1

Spearmen, 1920

Question 2

what was the original aim of spearmens theory

Answer 2

to find out how much of children’s scores in school could be determined by intelligence tests results

Question 3

galsworthy et al., (2005) found what?

Answer 3

evidence of ‘g’ in animals, by testing mice.

Question 4

what psychometric test measures ‘g’ and what is the general outcome?

Answer 4

the wechsler adult intelligence test.

it finds a positive correlation across all scores which indicates g. some scores are more highly correlated than others.

Question 5

what abilities does the wechsler test? (4)

Answer 5

• reaction time
• individual/grouped
• porlbem solving
• language

Question 6

what did thurstone (1930) think about g?

Answer 6

he recognised and accepted something like it, but didnt think it was as important.

Question 7

what was thurstone instumental in doing?

Answer 7

introducing the notion of the existence of multiple different intelligences. developed 7 different mental abilities.

Question 8

who developed the GfGc theory

Answer 8

Cattell (1940)

Question 9

what is fluid intelligence?

Answer 9

• thinking that we do when dealing with new information
• doesnt require prior knowledge
• comes from genetic and biological influences and is dependant on the efficient workings of the CNS

Question 10

what is crystallised intelligence?

Answer 10

• skills and info that we acquire and retain in memory throughout life
• reflects cultural experiences eg education and socioeconomic status

Question 11

who developed the three stratum model and when?

Answer 11

Carrol, 1993

Question 12

what are the basic concepts of the three stratum model?

Answer 12

• believed in g, an overarching intelligence with different abilities underneath it
• a hierarchical model
• researched 461 data sets to reach this conclusion
• idea that there should always be a positive correlation between scores

Question 13

what does the cattel-horn-carrol theory of cognitive abilities do?

Answer 13

Captures the similarities between the three stratum model and the GfGc theory whilst reconciling the differences.
- gfgc does not recognise g, three stratum does.

Question 14

why do people struggle to define intelligence?

Answer 14

there are so many divided and overlapping theories, a unified framework is needed.

Question 15

why was g not included in the original CHC model?

Answer 15

it does not help with the assessment and interpretation across questionnaires.

Question 16

what are the important points to remember about traditional theories?

Answer 16

• there is no perfect model

Question 17

what is the most recent addition to the traditional theory literature?

Answer 17

Johnson and Bouchard (2005)
tested the three traditional models and used a number of tests to capture the different abilities used in each.
suggested the the Vernon (1950) model worked best which added to the original g theory and proposed a hierarchical structure of two main groupings.