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Theories of Intelligence

Spearman and Gardner propose two different theoretical paradigms of intelligence: psychometric theories and cognitive theories (Intelligence). The British psychologist Charles E. Spearman published his first major paper on his theory of intelligence in 1904, noting that people who did well on tests of mental ability tended to do well on other types of tests too, and people who did poorly on one of them also tended to do poorly on the other. He devised a technique of factor analysis which examined patterns of differences in test scores which he said provided an underlying analysis of individual differences. From these analyses, Spearman deduced that just two kinds of individual factors underlie all individual differences, one being a general factor which pervades the intelligence used on all tasks, and the other one being specifically related to each task. There are strong arguments in support of Spearman's general type of intelligence (Paik). Convincing evidence comes from the fact that there is proof of a single general factor governing the level of intelligence of an individual, which Spearman also called the positive manifold. There is a high correlation between IQ and very simple cognitive tasks, which supports the theory of one general intelligence. Also in support of one general intelligence is the high correlation between different tests of cognitive ability, such as verbal abilities and mathematics. Another positive correlation is between reaction time and IQ.

Howard Gardner proposed a theory of intelligence: "An intelligence is the ability to solve problems, or to create products, that are valued within one or more cultural settings" (Modern). He questioned the existence of Spearman's general intelligence, saying that while he did not dispute differences in intellectual capabilities between individuals, he doubted the existence of strong general powers. Instead, Gardner proposed eight criteria for intelligence:...

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Theories of Intelligence. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 19:56, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1704351.html