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Intelligence - the ability to comprehend; to understand & profit from experience.
Spearman
Ψ Spearman's two-factor theory of intelligence
g - general mental ability factor.
s - specific mental factors such as mathematical, mechanical, & verbal.
Ψ Charles Spearman (1927) analyzed the relations among experimental intelligence tests using 'factor analysis'. He argued that, as a rule, people who do well on some intelligence tests also do well on a variety of intellectual tasks [vocabulary and mathematical and spatial abilities]. And if people did poorly on an intelligence test, then they also tended to do poorly on other intellectual tests. That is, he observed correlations among performance on a variety of intellectual tasks.
Thus, he proposed, a 'two-factor' theory of intelligence:
1. General Ability (g): which was required for performance of mental tests of all kinds; he called this a kind of 'mental energy' that underlies the specific factors
2. Special Abilities (s) which were required for performance on just one kind of mental test.
- e.g. Scores on a verbal comprehension test are largely determined by one’s level of general intelligence but they are also affected by one’s specific ability to perform verbal comprehension tasks.
Sternberg
Ψ Robert Sternberg (1949 - ) "I define [intelligence] as your skill in achieving whatever it is you want to attain in your life within your
sociocultural context by capitalizing on your strengths and compensating for, or correcting, your weaknesses ( personal communication, July 29, 2004)."
Ψ Robert Sternberg's triarchic theory (3 factors)
1. analytical - logical - academic
2. creative - problem-solving
3. practical
Ψ Sternberg (1986) believes that conventional intelligence tests tell us little about performance in everyday life & suggests a number of reasons why so-called intelligent people fail. They follow:
• lack of motivation
• lack of impulse control
• lack of perseverance
• fear of failure
• procrastination
• inability to delay gratification
• too little or too much self-confidence
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Ψ Sternberg suggests that if intelligence is properly defined & measured it must translate into real-life success.
Gardner
Ψ Howard Gardner's original multiple-intelligence theory
(1983) proposed 7 factors.
1. Linguistic
2. Logical-Mathematical
3. Musical
4. Spatial
5. Body-Kinesthetic
6. Interpersonal (social-understanding)
7. Intrapersonal (self-understanding)
Ψ In his book "Intelligence Reframed (1999)" Gardner proposed three more areas of intelligence:
8. Naturalistic ( knowledge of the living world )
9. Spiritual
( an understanding of our relationship to the supernatural )
10. Existential ( a concern with "ultimate" issues - a knowledge of our place in
the cosmos )
General Psychology
Robert C. Gates
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