Concept of Intelligence

• A typical dictionary definition of intelligence is “the capacity to

acquire and apply knowledge.” Intelligence includes the ability to
benefit from past experience, act purposefully, solve problems, and
adapt to new situations.

• Intelligence can also be defined as “the ability that intelligence tests

measure.” There is a long history of disagreement about what
actually constitutes intelligence.
Intelligence according to Psychologists

• Intelligence has been an important and controversial topic throughout

psychology's history. Despite the substantial interest in the subject, there is still
considerable disagreement about what components make up intelligence.
• Intelligence, or the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills, is a
somewhat tricky concept. Psychologists have been trying for years to figure out
what exactly it is and how to measure it.
• It all started in the late 19th century, when a Frenchman named Alfred Binet was
asked by the government to identify which Parisian children would experience
trouble with school. They wanted to identify which students would need extra
help as early as possible.
• Binet put together a test that focused on things that weren't explicitly taught in
school, things like attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Thus, the
first intelligence quotient, or IQ, test was born. Its goal was to measure the
underlying intelligence of people.
• At various points throughout recent history, researchers have proposed some
different definitions of intelligence. While these definitions can vary
considerably from one theorist to the next, current conceptualizations tend to
suggest that intelligence involves the level of ability to do the following:
• Learn: The acquisition, retention, and use of knowledge is an important
component of intelligence.
• Recognize problems: To put knowledge to use, people must be able to identify
possible problems in the environment that need to be addressed.
• Solve problems: People must then be able to take what they have learned to
come up with a useful solution to a problem they have noticed in the world
around them.
• Intelligence involves some different mental abilities including logic,
reasoning, problem-solving, and planning.

• While the subject of intelligence is one of the largest and most heavily
researched, it is also one of the topics that generate the greatest
controversy.
Cognitive Theories of Intelligence
Louis L. Thurstone: Primary Mental Abilities
• Thurstone’s multi-factor theory of intelligence is based on the generalized
concepts, formulas, and methods used by Spearman in his Two-factor Theory of
intelligence.
• Thurstone used the new advanced technique of factor analyses to Spearman’s
factor analysis technique to understand the various factors related to human
intelligence.
• In his research, he conducted 57 psychological mental abilities tests on the group
of subjects and examined the tests scores of these subjects through the inter-
correlation technique and matrix algebra.
• The conclusion derived by Thurstone about the nature of intellectual abilities
was different from that of Spearman’s conclusion. Based on the gathered data,
Thurstone stated that there exist seven different mental abilities factors, and he
called them the primary mental abilities (P.M.A.).
• He rejected to accept the general intelligence or g-factor of Spearman’s
theory because Thurstone’s seven mental abilities fitted better per the
obtained data as compared to Spearman’s general intelligence (g-
factor).
• According to Spearman, there exists a general factor called the g-factor
that is common to all the intellectual abilities of the person. However,
Thurstone stated that human intellectual abilities are diverse, and he
established his multi-factor theory of intelligence (1935) that focuses on
the seven different primary mental abilities.
• He stated that every individual possesses different levels of these seven
factors, and these levels do not depend on each other, and each of
these abilities can be evaluated separately. He suggested focusing on
the individual’s scores in various mental abilities instead of focusing only
on the intelligence quotient of the person.
i. The Numerical Factor
• It involves the ability of an individual to do quick and accurate
numerical computations. It can be measured by checking the
accuracy and speed of the person in solving various arithmetic
problems.
ii. The Verbal Fluency
• It refers to the ability of the person to understand and use various
words, sentences, language, or other verbal content pieces. This
ability can be assessed through vocabulary tests, jumble word
tests, and verbal or reading comprehension tests.
iii. The Spatial visualization
• It refers to the spatial visualization of the person. This ability comes
into play when the person tries to understand the manipulation of
various real/imaginary objects. The test that measures this ability
involves solving various kinds of puzzles, understanding various
geometric figures, and identifying the correct mirror image of the
object, or choosing the correct image of the object when it is rotated
by different angles.
iv. Memory
• It refers to the ability of the person to quickly memorize the various
concepts or phenomena and retaining them for a longer period of
time.
• Various memory tests like asking the participants to learn nonsense
syllables, and their ability to remember them could be a measure of
their memory factor.
• The ability to recall the learned concepts by the students during the
exams is largely dependent on this primary mental ability factor.
v. The Verbal Comprehension
• When a person is asked to rapidly speak several isolated words or
sentences, then verbal fluency comes into play; a person with high
verbal fluency may excel in this task, while the person with low verbal
fluency may have difficulty in this task.
• This factor is responsible for the communication skills of the person.
The tests to measure this factor may involve asking participants to
rapidly think of words that begin or end with a specific letter.
vi. The Inductive Reasoning Factor
• This reasoning involves the ability to deduce a general principle from a
specific concept.
• This ability is measured through various tests like number series, word
series, and classification of words or numbers. The inductive
reasoning tests may involve selecting an appropriate number or image
according to the sequential order of the given numbers or images
series.
vii. Perceptual Speed Factor
• This ability is involved in proofreading and in rapid recognition of
letters and numbers.
• It is measured by tests such as those requiring the crossing out of As in
a long string of letters or in tests requiring recognition of which of
several pictures at the right is identical to the picture at the left.
Cattell –Horn Theory of Intelligence
• The Cattell-Horn theory of fluid and crystallized
intelligence suggests that intelligence is composed of
different abilities that interact and work together to
produce overall individual intelligence.3
 Fluid vs. Crystallized
• All the way back in 1963, Raymond Cattell noticed that there are two distinct
forms of intelligence that he wanted to identify and study. The first type is
what he called fluid intelligence.
• Fluid intelligence is defined as the ability to solve new problems, use logic
in new situations, and identify patterns.
• Using a complicated subway system in a new city is a good example of how
you might need to use fluid intelligence. The first time you use the subway,
you have to figure out the names of the stops you need, which train will take
you there, if you need to transfer in the middle, and so on. This type of
intelligence is sort of like 'street smarts,' where you need to figure things out
that moment and adapt to your situation.
• One way you can think of fluid intelligence is that you'll use it slightly
differently each time you're in a new situation, so it's flexible and adaptive -
like water in its fluid form.
• In contrast, Cattell also named a second, different type of intelligence that he
called crystallized intelligence.
• Crystallized intelligence is defined as the ability to use learned knowledge and experience.
When you're taking a class at school, you use crystallized intelligence all the time. When
you're learning a new language, you memorize the new vocabulary words and increase your
vocabulary over time. You also learn the theory behind solving algebraic equations, or how
to do long division, or the general rules of grammar when using a sentence.
• Crystallized intelligence is like water as it turns into ice, or a solid form. Over time it gets
more and more stable, like a crystal.
• When you're learning a new task you'll usually need to start with fluid intelligence, but once
that task is learned, you can probably rely on your crystallized intelligence.
• For example, if you grew up learning English as your first language, you might have trouble
learning a language with different grammatical patterns or concepts, like nouns in Spanish
being 'masculine' or 'feminine.' Making this adaptation will require your brain to be a little
flexible as you think about the new ideas. However, once you get the basics of the new
language down, you can add to your knowledge and vocabulary by memorizing words,
which relies on crystallized intelligence.
• So often these two types of intelligence work together, especially in settings like a school
classroom.