MODULE: 1
INTELLIGENCE
A. DEFINITIONS
Binet and Simon (1905) - The ability to judge well, to understand well and to reason well.
Wechsler (1939) - The aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully to
think rationally and deal effectively with his or her environment
B. NATURE
Intelligence is not acquired after sustained labour.
It is a gift from nature. Intelligence is not memory.
An intelligent person may have poor memory.
Intelligence is not a skill which a worker acquires after planned practice.
Intelligence is not a guarantee of a good behaviour of the individual.
C. CHARACTERISTICS OF INTELLIGENCE:
1. The ability to solve problems
2. The capacity to adapt and learn from experiences
3. Includes characteristics such as creativity and interpersonal skills
4. The mental abilities that enable one to adapt to, shape, or select one‗s
environment
5. The ability to judge, comprehend, and reason
6. The ability to understand and deal with people, objects, and symbols
7. The ability to act purposefully, think rationally, and deal effectively
with the environment
8. He develops a sense of discrimination between right or wrong.
9. The developmental period of intelligence is from birth to adolescence.
10. There is a minor difference in the development of intelligence
between boys and girls.
11. There are individual differences with regard to the intelligence
between boys and girls.
12. Intelligence is mostly determined by heredity but a suitable environment necessary to
improve it.
E. THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE
Two Factor Theory of Intelligence.
Charles spearman proposed it in 1927
First scientific explanation based on factor analysis
He developed the concept of g factor or general intelligence and the s factor or
specific intelligence
General intelligence also known as g factor refers to the existence of a broad mental
capacity that influences performance on cognitive ability measures it is universally
inborn. it is a common factor presents in the individual
General intelligence factor (g) is the construct that the different abilities and skills
measured on intelligence tests have in common.
This factor relates to abstract thinking and includes the abilities to acquire
knowledge, reason abstractly, adapt to novel situations, and benefit from instruction
and experience.
It is a common factor present in the individual.
The s factor or a specific factor is a score representing a person‘s ability within one
particular area .It is acquired from the environment it varies from activity to activity
in the same individual.
Each cluster of intelligence is further affected by a specific factor or a specific skill, an
s factor, which is uniquely tied to that particular area of functioning.
Spearman holds that individual differences in intelligence is largely due to the
presence of s factor
Limitations
• Applicability
• Poor inter correlation
• Unusefulness of g factor
• Involvement of multi-factors
Fluid and Crystalized Intelligence
Raymond Cattel (1963) proposed the idea based on the factor analysis.
Fluid intelligence is the people ‘s inherent capacity to learn and solve problems used
in adapting to new situations.
Fluid intelligence is defined as the ability to see complex relationships and solve
problems.
It can be referred as the capacity to learn new ways of solving problems as well as
performing activities quickly and abstract
Crystallized intelligence encompasses the knowledge a person has already acquired
and the ability to access that knowledge.
It is what one has learnt through the investment of fluid intelligence in cultural
settings.
It is measured by tests of vocabulary, arithmetic, and general information.
Crystallized intelligence denotes accumulates knowledge of the world that we have
acquired throughout our lives and experience
C.i increases with age but f.i tends to decrease with age
The differential changes in c.i versus f.i also explains why those older people do not
necessarily show poor performance on tasks that require experience although they
show insufficient flawed memory loss.
Structure of Intellect Model
A three-dimensional box like model Proposed by Guilford in 1967. Also known as the
tri-dimensional theory of intelligence.
Organized intellectual traits along three dimensions- contents, operations and
products.
Since this classification includes 6*5*6 categories, therefore the model has 180 cells.
Operations: basic intellectual process of thinking. it has 5 subcategories.
a) Cognition: it includes discovery, rediscovery, and recognition of information or some
understanding.
b) Memory recording: it includes a person ‘s ability to readily encode the information.
c) Memory retention: it includes a person ‘s ability to retain the encoded information.
d) Divergent production: it refers to the ability to search for multiple creative or novel
solutions to the problem.
e) Evaluation: it means placing a value judgement on knowledge and thought.
f) Convergent production: it includes the ability to search for a correct solution to a problem.
Content: it refers to a type of content or nature material or information on which the
operations are performed it has 5 subcategories.
a) Visual: it includes concrete visual material.
b) Auditory: it includes nature and characteristics of the sound perceived.
c) Symbolic: it includes letters words and other signs
d) Semantic: it includes verbal meanings or ideas.
e) Behavioural: it includes knowledge regarding other persons
Products: it refers to the research of performing operations on contents it has 6
subcategories.
a) Units: it refers to the production of a single word, definition or isolated bit of information.
Single item of knowledge, this is the basic product.
b) Classes: it refers to a production of a concept.
c) Relations: it refers to the production of any form of relationships, the units are somehow
related such is the form of sequence, opposites comparisons. The leaner understands there
is a connection between the units and group them together in their mental schema.
d) Systems: Multiple relations that are interconnected to comprise structures or networks.
These units form a network of interrelated concepts and ideas and are a highly complex
structure that may draw upon pre-existing knowledge.
e) Transformation: it refers to the production of changes in meanings, organisation or some
other arrangements.
f) Implications: it refers to the production of such information as if beyond the data
presented
Primary Mental Abilities
• In 1935 Louis Thurston proposed the 7 primary mental abilities.
The seven primary mental abilities are
o Verbal comprehension: ability to understand the meaning of words, vocabulary test.
o Word fluency: ability to think words rapidly as in solving anagrams or thinking of words
and rhymes.
o Numbers: the ability to work with numbers and perform computations.
o Space: the ability to visualize space relations as in identifying the figures when it is in
different orientations.
o Associative memory: effective encoding, storage and retrieval. Ability to recall verbal
stimuli such as word pairs and sentences.
o Perceptual speed: the ability to grasp visual information quickly to see similarity and
differences between pictured objects.
o Reasoning: ability to find a general rule on the basis of presented instances. Inductive
reasoning (specific to general).
(also refer psych 12th textbook)
Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Robert Sternberg (1985) proposed the triarchic theory of intelligence. Sternberg views
intelligence as “the ability to adapt, to shape and select environment to accomplish one’s
goals and those of one’s society and culture”.
According to this theory, there are three basic types of intelligence:
Componential Intelligence:
Componential or analytical intelligence is the analysis of information to solve
problems. Persons high on this ability think analytically and critically and succeed in
schools.
This intelligence has three components,
First is the knowledge acquisition component, which is responsible for learning and
acquisition of the ways of doing things. Enables us to learn new information that will
help carry out our plans
The second is the meta or a higher order component, which involves planning
concerning what to do and how to do evaluate our mental processing so that we can
make decisions, solve problems and create plans.
The third is the performance component, which involves actually doing things.
Enable us to take actions on the plans and the decisions arrived.
Experimental sub theory (creative intelligence):
The ability to successfully deal with new and unusual situations by drawing on
existing knowledge and skills.
Persons high on this aspect integrate different experiences in an original way to make
new discoveries and inventions.
Contextual Intelligence: Contextual or practical intelligence
Involves the ability to deal with environmental demands encountered on a daily
basis. It may be called ‘street smartness’ or ‘business sense’.
Persons high on this aspect easily adapt to their present environment or select a
more favourable environment than the existing one, or modify the environment to fit
their needs. Therefore, they turn out to be successful in life.
Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner proposed the theory of multiple intelligences. According to him,
intelligence is not a single entity; rather distinct types of intelligences exist. Each of these
intelligences are independent of each other.
Linguistic (an ability to produce and use language): It is the capacity to use language fluently
and flexibly to express one’s thinking and understand others. It involves sensitivity to
language, grasping and using language to represent ideas. Poets, journalists, and writers
Logical-Mathematical (an ability to think logically and critically, and solve problems).
Persons high on this type of intelligence can think logically and critically. Scientists,
engineers, and mathematicians.
Spatial (an ability to form visual images and patterns): It refers to the abilities involved in
forming, using, and transforming mental images. Create visual images creating and
interpreting visual images and thinking in 3 dimensions. Pilots, sailors, sculptors, painters,
Musical (an ability to produce and manipulate musical rhythms and patterns): It is the
capacity to produce, create and manipulate musical patterns. Persons high on this
intelligence are very sensitive to sounds and vibrations, and in creating new patterns of
sounds. Musician, composer, singer.
Interpersonal (an ability to understand to subtle aspects of others’ behaviours): This is the
ability to understand the motives, feelings and behaviours of other people so as to bond into
a comfortable relationship with others. Psychologists, counsellors, politicians, social workers.
Intrapersonal (an ability to understand of one’s own feelings, motives, and desires): This
refers to the knowledge of one’s internal strengths and limitations, weaknesses. The ability
to have insight into the self. Philosophers and spiritual leaders.
Naturalistic (an ability to identify the features of the natural world): This involves complete
awareness of our relationship with the natural world. It is useful in recognising the beauty of
different species of flora and fauna. Biologist, naturalist, farmer
Additional factors:
Existentialism: meaning and purpose in life, spiritual, leaders
and philosophers.
Environmentalist: they are being separate from naturalist
e.g. activist, environmentalist.
Goleman’s Theory of Emotional Intelligence
• Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and recognize one ‘s own and others
emotion and discriminate them and use this information in one ‘s thinking and actions.
• Proposed by Daniel Goleman in 1998. Also known as mixed model of Intelligence. It
consists of 5 different domains.
Self-awareness: Capacity to recognize an understand emotion and have to sense one ‘s
action, mood and emotions of others take effect. Noticing different emotion, as well as being
able to identify emotion correctly. How we feel, what are we related to, personal strength
and limitations, being open to different experience an interaction.
Self-regulation: Being flexible, coping wide change, managing conflicts. Diffusing difficult or
tense situation and being aware of how one ‘s actions affect other and take ownership of
these actions.
Social skills: How well interaction with people. Interact and communicate on day-to- day
basis. Active listening, verbal communication skills, nonverbal communication skills,
leadership, developing rapport.
Empathy: Recognition of other ‘s emotions, sense power dynamics that play apart in all
social relationship, but also most especially in work place relations.
Motivation: Intrinsic motivation, individual driven to meet personal needs and goals, rather
than by external rewards such as money, fame, recognitions. State of flow experienced
usually. Action oriented and set goals. Need for achievement and search ways to improve,
they are more likely to take initiative.
