Introduction

Intelligence is a key construct employed to know how individuals differ from one another. It also
provides an understanding of how people adapt their behavior according to the environment they
live in.
Psychological notion of intelligence is quite different from the common sensical
notion of intelligence. Early intelligence theorists also used these attributes in defining
intelligence. Alfred Binet was one of the first psychologists who worked on intelligence. He
defined intelligence as the ability to judge well, understand well, and reason well.
Wechsler, whose intelligence tests are most widely used, understood intelligence in terms of its
functionality, i.e. its value for adaptation to environment. He defined it as the global and
aggregate capacity of an individual to think rationally, act purposefully, and to deal effectively
with her/his environment. Other psychologists, such as Gardner and Sternberg have suggested
that an intelligent individual not only adapts to the environment, but also actively modifies or
shapes it.

Theories of Intelligence
Binet’s theory of intelligence was rather simple as it arose from his interest in differentiating
more intelligent from less intelligent individuals. He, therefore, conceptualized intelligence as
consisting of one similar set of abilities which can be used for solving any or every problem in an
individual’s environment. His theory of intelligence is called Uni or one factor theory of
intelligence.
In 1927, Charles Spearman proposed a two-factor theory of intelligence employing a statistical
method called factor analysis. He showed that intelligence consisted of a general factor (g-
factor) and some specific factors (s-factors). The g-factor includes mental operations which are
primary and common to all performances. In addition to the g-factor, he said that there are also
many specific abilities. These are called s-factors.
One of the theories that Gardner proposed eight abilities that he held to meet the criteria:
• Musical-rhythmic
• Visual-spatial
• Verbal-linguistic
• Logical-mathematical
 • Bodily-kinesthetic
• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal
• Naturalistic

Need to measure intelligence

By knowing one person’s intellectual abilities we can Identify the intellectual deviations,
determine the optimum level of work, For diagnosing disabilities in school subjects,
Combination of all informants for Educational Guidance, Diagnosing Subject-Matter
Difficulties, Predicting success in particular Academic Subjects, Measuring special abilities,
Determining the level of ability, Estimating the range of abilities in a class, Educational and
Vocational guidance.

Intelligence tests

Intelligence tests are psychological tests that are designed to measure a variety of
mental functions, such as reasoning, comprehension, and judgment.
Goal: To obtain an idea of the person's intellectual potential. The tests center around a set
of stimuli designed to yield a score based on the test maker's model of what makes up
intelligence. Intelligence tests are often given as a part of a battery of tests.

Contrast between Wechsler’s Intelligence Test and Bhatia’s Battery Test of Intelligence:

The Wechsler Intelligence Test

Developed by Dr. David Wechsler, a clinical psychologist with Bellevue Hospital, in 1939. Main
objective was to measure one's ability to "adapt and constructively solve problems in the
environment," as Wechsler defined.
Bhatia's Battery Test of Intelligence
Constructed by C. M. Bhatia in 1955. This test was developed to test the Intelligence of Indian
Population. The main objective of the test is to measure the intelligence of children and less
educated or illiterate Indians in the age group of 11 and 16 years.
Intelligent Quotient
It is a total score derived from several standardized tests designed to assess human intelligence.
The abbreviation "IQ" was coined by the psychologist William Stern.
IQ is a score obtained by dividing a person's mental age score, obtained by administering an
intelligence test, by the person's chronological age, both expressed in terms of years and months.
The resulting fraction is multiplied by 100 to obtain the IQ score.
Intelligence tests are psychological tests that are designed to measure a variety of mental
functions, such as reasoning, comprehension, and judgment.
The frequency distribution for the IQ scores tends to approximate a bell shaped curve, called the
normal curve.
This type of distribution is symmetrical around the central value, called the mean. About 2 per
cent of the population have IQ above 130, and a similar percentage have IQ below 70. The
persons in the first group are called intellectually gifted; those in the second group are termed
intellectually disabled. These two groups deviate considerably from the normal population in
respect of their cognitive, emotional, and motivational characteristics. The different levels of
intellectual disability are: mild (IQs 55 to approximately 70), moderate (IQs 35–40 to
approximately 50– 55), severe (IQs 20–25 to approximately 35–40), and profound (IQs below
20–25).

Bhatia's Battery of Performance Test of Intelligence

It includes following five sub tests:
 Kohl's Block Design Test
 Alexander Pass-along Test
 Pattern Drawing Test
 Immediate Memory
 Picture Construction Test
Individual administration of this test takes less than one hour. Maximum 95 marks can be
obtained in the complete test. Maximum marks for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th test are 25, 20,
20, 15, 15 respectively.
 References

Class XII Psychology. (2005). NCERT.

www.verywellmind.com/the-wechsler-adult-intelligence-scale-2795283
www.psychtoday.com

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