CONCEPTS AND THEORY OF

INTELLIGENCE

SUBMITTED BY-
SHAHEEN PARVEEN
M.ARCH (AP) 2nd SEM
SESSION : 2023-24
WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE?
Intelligence refers to the ability to understand, learn, and apply knowledge effectively. It
involves problem-solving, reasoning, and the capacity to adapt to new situations.

According to Alfred Binet intelligence, it is defined as the ability to judge well, understand
well, and reason well.

According to, Wechsler, Intelligence is understood in terms of its functionality, i.e. its value for
adaptation to t he environment. He defined it as the global and aggregate capacity of an
individual to think rationally, act purposefully, and to deal effectively with his/her environment.

Thorndike understands intelligence as “one’s capacity to deal effectively with situations”.

Jean Piaget, defines intelligence as- ‘intelligence is the ability to adapt to one’s surroundings’.

The ability to solve problems and to create products, that are valued within one or more cultural
settings (Howard Gardner, 1983)

A person’s capacity for goal-directed adaptive behavior (Robert Sternberg & William Salter, 1982)

IMPORTANCE OF INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence plays a crucial role in various aspects of life, including academic success, career achievements, and personal development. It influences how
individuals perceive and interact with the world around them.
THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE
Psychologists have suggested various intelligence theories,
which can be categorized as psychometric/structural or
information-processing approaches.

The Psychometric or Structural Approach-

It views intelligence as a collection of

abilities and measures an individual's
performance through a single ability index.

The Information Processing Approach

It involves studying the cognitive functions

that underlie intelligent behavior, with a focus
on how intelligent individuals reason and
solve problems. It seeks to describe the
processes involved in such activities.
ALFRED BINET’S ONE/UNI FACTOR THEORY

• The single-factor theory, also known as the intelligence quotient (IQ) theory,
was developed by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon in the early 20th century.
• Binet proposed that intelligence could be measured as a single factor, which he called
general mental ability.
• This theory suggests that people who excel in one area of intelligence, such as
mathematics, will also tend to excel in other areas, such as verbal reasoning or spatial
reasoning.
• Binet believed that intelligence was a fixed trait that was largely determined by
genetics.
• He argued that individuals could not significantly improve their intelligence through
education or other forms of training.
SPEARMAN’S TWO FACTOR
THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE
Spearman’s two-factor theory of intelligence, also known as the g-
factor theory, was proposed by British psychologist Charles
Spearman in the early 1900s.

Spearman's Two-Factor Theory suggests that intelligence is a

combination of both general and specific factors. The theory
suggests that intelligence is comprised of two factors: a general
ability factor (g) and specific ability factors (s).

The general ability factor (g) represents a person’s overall level of

cognitive ability, which is the underlying factor that influences
performance on all mental tasks.

On the other hand, specific ability factors (s) represent an

individual’s unique abilities in specific areas, such as verbal
comprehension, numerical reasoning, spatial ability, and so on.
These factors contribute to a person’s overall intelligence but are not as important as
the general ability factor.

Spearman argued that the general ability factor (g) is related to many aspects of
cognitive functioning, including perception, attention, memory, and reasoning. He
believed that this factor is largely inherited and is not influenced by environmental
factors.

However, the specific ability factors (s) can be influenced by education, training,
and other environmental factors.

Characteristics of 'g'
1.'g' is universal and inborn ability.
2.'g' varies from person to person but in a person it is constant.
3.'g' is common in all life activities.
4.'g' is responsible for success in life.
5. Whenever we talk of testing intelligence, we actually mean to measure 'g' with
the help of intelligence test.

Characteristics of 'S'
1.'S' is learnt and acquired in the environment.
2.'S' is closely associated with the aptitude of person.
3.'S' varies from person to person.
THURSTONE GROUP FACTOR THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE

• The Thurstone group factor theory of intelligence, also known as the multiple factor theory of intelligence, was proposed by Louis
Leon Thurstone in the 1930s.

• Thurstone believed that intelligence is not a single entity, but rather a combination of distinct primary mental abilities.

• He identified seven primary mental abilities that he believed were the foundation of intelligence, each of which contributed to an
individual’s overall cognitive ability in different ways.
The seven primary mental abilities proposed by Thurstone are:

i.Verbal Comprehension (grasping the meaning of words, concepts, and ideas)

ii.Numerical Abilities (speed and accuracy in numerical and computational skills)
iii.Spatial Relations (visualizing patterns and forms)
iv.Perceptual Speed (speed in perceiving details)
v. W ord Fluency (using words fluently and flexibly)
vi.Memory (accuracy in recalling information)
vii.Inductive Reasoning (deriving general rules from presented facts)

Thurstone believed that each of these primary mental abilities was relatively independent of the others, meaning that a person could be
strong in one area but weak in another.

However, he also recognized the existence of a general factor that accounted for some of the variation in scores across the primary
abilities. Thurstone’s theory emphasized the importance of specific abilities and rejected the idea that intelligence was a single,
unitary concept.
GUILFORD’S STRUCTURE
OF THE INTELLECT

J.P. Guilford developed the idea of specific intelligence factors

into a very detailed model beginning in the 1950s.
Guilford(1967) conceives of intelligence as being a combination
of three dimensions, shown in the below model:

Guilford's Structure of Intellect (SOI) theory states that a

person's success in general intelligence may be traced all the
way back to fundamental mental talents or intellectual
elements.

He used up to 150 different mental capacities and arranged

them into
three categories in his SOI model: operations, content, and
products.
GUILFORD’S STRUCTURE OF THE INTELLECT
According to him, Intelligence depends on:

Mental operations (process of thinking)

Content (what we think about)

Product (result of our thinking)

By Content he meant that different people seemed to pay more attention to and think more effectively about different kinds of
information.

CONTENT DIMENSION

• Visual—Information perceived through seeing.

• Auditory—Information perceived through hearing.
• Kinesthetic—Information perceived through one’s own physical actions.
• Symbolic—Information perceived as symbols or signs that have no meaning by themselves; e.g., Arabic numerals or the letters of
an alphabet.
• Semantic – Which is concerned with verbal meaning and ideas.
• Behavioral—Information perceived as acts of people.
OPERATIONS DIMENSION
SI includes six operations or general intellectual processes:

• Cognition—The ability to understand, comprehend, discover, and become aware of information.

• Memory recording—The ability to encode information.
• Memory retention—The ability to recall information.
• Divergent production—The ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem; creativity.
• Convergent production—The ability to deduce a single solution to a problem; rule-following or problem-solving.
• Evaluation—The ability to judge whether or not information is accurate, consistent, or valid.

PRODUCT DIMENSION

As the name suggests, this dimension contains results of applying particular operations to specific contents. The SI model includes
six products, in increasing complexity:

• Units—Single items of knowledge.

• Classes—Sets of units sharing common attributes.
• Relations—Units linked as opposites or in associations, sequences, or analogies.
• Systems—Multiple relations interrelated to comprise structures or networks.
• Transformations—Changes, perspectives, conversions, or mutations to knowledge.
• Implications—Predictions, inferences, consequences, or anticipations of knowledge.
CATTELL-HORN THEORY OF FLUID AND CRYSTALLIZED
INTELLIGENCE (1963)

The Cattell-Horn theory of fluid and crystallized

intelligence suggests that intelligence is composed of a
number of different abilities that interact and work together
to produce overall individual intelligence.

Fluid intelligence is the ability to think and reason abstractly

and solve problems. This ability is considered independent of
learning, experience, and education.

Examples of the use of fluid intelligence include solving puzzles

and coming up with problem-solving strategies.

Crystallized intelligence is learning from past experiences

and learning. Situations that require crystallized intelligence
include reading comprehension and vocabulary exams. This
type of intelligence is based upon facts and rooted in
experiences. This type of intelligence becomes stronger as we
age and accumulate new knowledge and understanding.
STERNBERG TRIARCHIC THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE
The Sternberg Triarchic Theory of Intelligence is a theory proposed by psychologist Robert J. Sternberg in the 1980s that
identifies three distinct aspects of intelligence: analytical, creative, and practical. Sternberg’s theory suggests that intelligence is a
multifaceted construct that cannot be adequately captured by a single measure or definition.
Different type of Intelligence according to him:

Analytical intelligence: This aspect of intelligence involves the

ability to analyze, evaluate, and solve problems using logical reasoning
and critical thinking.

It includes the ability to analyze information, break down complex problems

into their component parts, and evaluate the pros and cons of different
solutions.

Creative intelligence: This aspect of intelligence involves the ability to

generate novel ideas, think outside the box, and solve problems in new and
innovative ways. It includes the ability to approach problems from different
angles, make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, and
generate new and original solutions.

Creative intelligence is often associated with artistic and scientific creativity

and is not typically measured by standardized tests.
STERNBERG TRIARCHIC THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE

3. Practical intelligence: This aspect of intelligence involves the ability

to adapt to and navigate real-world situations, including social situations.

It includes the ability to use common sense, practical knowledge,

and interpersonal skills to solve problems and achieve goals.

According to Sternberg that intelligence is not simply a fixed trait, but rather a
dynamic and malleable set of abilities that can be improved over time through
experience and practice.

Sternberg also suggests that intelligence is not domain-specific, meaning

that individuals can possess high levels of intelligence in one aspect (e.g.,
creative intelligence) but not in another (e.g., analytical intelligence).
HOWARD GARDNER’S THEORY ON
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
Multiple intelligences is a theory first posited by Harvard developmental
psychologist Howard Gardner in 1983.

The human ability to solve problems or to make something that is valued in

one or more cultures.

The theory of multiple intelligence is Howard Gardner’s theory that proposes:

• That people are not born with all of the intelligence they will ever have.
• It says that intelligence can be learned throughout life.
• Claims that everyone is intelligent in at least nine different ways and can
develop each aspect of intelligence to an average level of competency.
• Intelligence, as defined by Gardner, is the ability to solve problems or fashion
products that are valuable in one or more cultural settings.

This theory suggests human intelligence can be differentiated into the following
modalities: visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, musical-rhythmic, logical-
mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and bodily-kinesthetic.
Principles of Multiple Intelligence
Theory:

1.Intelligence is not singular: intelligences are multiple.

2.Every person is a unique blend of dynamic intelligences.
3.Intelligences vary in development, both within and among
individuals.
4.All intelligences are dynamic.
5.Every person deserves opportunities to recognize and develop the
multiplicity of intelligences.
6.The use of one of the intelligences can be used to enhance
intelligence.
7.Personal background density and dispersion are critical to
knowledge, beliefs, and skills in all intelligences.
PASS MODEL OF
INTELLIGENCE

The PASS (Planning, Attention-arousal, and

Simultaneous-successive ) THEORY of
intelligence has been developed by J.P Das, Jack
Naglieri, and Kirby (1994).

They proposed that three functional units of brain

determine the intellectual activity of an individual.
These three units are responsible for planning,
arousal/attention and simultaneous /Successive
processing .

These PASS processes are interactive in nature yet

each has its own distinctive functions.
PASS MODEL OF INTELLIGENCE

1.Planning: Planning refers to the ability to formulate and execute a strategy to solve a problem or achieve a goal. It involves setting
goals, developing a plan of action, and monitoring progress towards the goal.

2.Attention: Attention refers to the ability to focus and sustain attention on a task or stimuli in the environment. It involves the
selective filtering of irrelevant information and the allocation of mental resources to relevant stimuli.

3.Simultaneous: It refers to the ability to perceive & process multiple pieces of information at the same time. It involves integrating
information from different sources, recognizing patterns, and identifying relationships between different pieces of information.

4.Successive: Successive processing refers to the ability to process information in a sequential and ordered manner. It involves
analyzing information in a step-by-step manner, recognizing the order of events, and using logical reasoning to solve problems.
Emotional Intelligence

Understanding and Managing Emotions

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to
recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions
as well as the emotions of others. It plays a crucial
role in our personal and professional lives.

Emotional intelligence is important because it allows

us to navigate social interactions, make better
decisions, and build stronger relationships. By
developing our emotional intelligence, we can
improve our overall well-being and success in
various areas of life.
VARIATIONS OF INTELLIGENCE
1. Intellectual Disability-
intellectual disability is having significantly below average intellectual functioning along
with deficits in adaptive behavior, which is evident during the developmental period.

This definition covers three main features:

• Below average intellectual functioning, resulting in slower comprehension compared to
peers of the same age.
• Difficulties with adaptability and effectively coping with the environment, which
may hinder the ability to hold a job or manage a family independently.
• Manifestation during the developmental period.

The severity of intellectual disability varies based on the level of IQ deficiency:

Mild: IQ 55-70
Moderate: IQ 35-55
Severe: IQ 20-35
Profound: IQ <20

Individuals with mild to moderate intellectual disability can often benefit from special
education and training, whereas those with severe to profound intellectual disability may
require more long-term support and assistance throughout their lives.
VARIATIONS OF INTELLIGENCE
2.Intellectual Giftedness
Exceptional performance resulting from exceptional potential with an IQ score of
more than 130 can be identified through the concepts of talent and giftedness.

Giftedness refers to exceptional overall ability and superior performance in diverse

areas, while talent pertains to exceptional ability in a particular domain such as
social, spiritual or aesthetic.

Important characteristics of gifted children:

• Advanced logical thinking, questioning and problem solving.
• High speed in processing information.
• Superior generalization and discrimination ability
• Advance original and creative thinking
• High level intrinsic motivation, self esteem.
• Independent and non-conformist thinking
• Preference for solitary academic activities.
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