THEORIES OF

INTELLIGENC
E
BY

DR. KALAISELVI M.

1ST YEAR POSTGRADUATE

M.D. PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE

GMKMCH
CONTENT
• DEFINITION OF INTELLIGENCE
• VARIOUS THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE
• HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT ON INTELLIGENCE
• ASSESSMENT OF INTELLIGENCE
• CLASSIFICATION OF INTELLIGENCE TESTS
• INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT
• MENTAL RETARDATION
• SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
• ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
DEFINITION OF INTELLIGENCE
• WOODSWORTH AND MARQUIS
INTELLIGENCE MEANS INTELLECT PUT TO USE. IT
IS THE USE OF INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES FOR
HANDLING A SITUATION OR ACCOMPLISHING ANY
TASK
STERN
• INTELLIGENCE IS A GENERAL CAPACITY OF AN
INDIVIDUAL CONSCIOUSLY TO ADJUST HIS
THINKING TO NEW REQUIREMENTS. IT IS GENERAL
MENTAL ADAPTABILITY TO NEW PROBLEMS AND
CONDITIONS OF LIFE
TERMAN
• AN INDIVIDUAL IS INTELLIGENT IN PROPORTION AS
HE IS ABLE TO CARRY ON ABSTRACT THINKING
WAGNON
• INTELLIGENCE IS THE CAPACITY TO LEARN AND
ADJUST TO RELATIVELY NEW AND CHANGING
CONDITIONS
THORNDIKE
• INTELLIGENCE IS THE POWER OF GOOD RESPONSES
FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF TRUTH OR FACT
STODDARD
INTELLIGENCE IS THE ABILITY TO UNDERTAKE
ACTIVITIES THAT ARE DIFFICULT, COMPLEX AND
ABSTRACT WHICH ARE ADAPTIVE TO A GOAL AND
ARE DONE QUICKLY AND WHICH HAVE SOCIAL
VALUE AND WHICH LEAD TO THE CREATION OF
SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT
WORKING DEFINITION
• INTELLIGENCE MAY BE REGARDED AS A SORT OF
MENTAL ENERGY AVAILABLE WITH AN INDIVIDUAL
TO ENABLE HIM TO HANDLE HIS ENVIRONMENT IN
TERMS OF ADAPTATION AND FACING NOVEL
SITUATIONS AS EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE
SUMMARY
• INTELLIGENCE IS THE ABILITY TO LEARN
• THE ABILITY TO DEAL WITH ABSTRACTION
• THE ABILITY TO MAKE ADJUSTMENT OR TO ADAPT
TO NEW SITUATIONS
• ABILITY OR POWER OF MAKING APPROPRIATE
RESPONSES TO CERTAIN STIMULI IN A GIVEN
SITUATION
THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE
• FACTOR THEORIES
• CATTELL AND HORN’S THEORY
• UNITARY THEORY
• ANARCHIC THEORY
• CHARLES SPEARMAN – TWO FACTOR THEORY
• LOUIS THURSTONE – GROUP FACTOR THEORY
• VERNON’S HIERARCHICAL THEORY
• GUILFORD’S THEORY

• PROCESS ORIENTED THEORIES

• PIAGET’S THEORY
• BRUNER’S THEORY
• INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORIES
THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE
• OTHER PROCESS ORIENTED THEORIES
• SIEGLER(1983) FOCUSES ON RULES INVOLVED IN INTELLIGENT BEHAVIOUR
• FISCHER(1980) THE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR VARIOUS TASKS

• CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE

• HOWARD GARDNER – MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
• STERNBERG – TRIARCHIC THEORY
• CECI’S BIOECOLOGICAL THEORY
• ANDERSON’S THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE
FACTOR THEORIES
CATTELL AND HORN’S THEORY

CRYSTALLIZED INTELLIGENCE – 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
 IT BECOMES STRONGER AS WE AGE AND ACCUMULATE NEW KNOWLEDGE AND
UNDERSTANDING
FLUID INTELLIGENCE – THE ABILITY TO THINK AND
REASON ABSTRACTLY AND SOLVE PROBLEMS
ONE’S INBORN ABILITIES LARGELY DETERMINED BY GENETICS AND
BIOLOGY
THIS ABILITY IS CONSIDERED INDEPENDENT OF LEARNING, EXPERIENCE
AND EDUCATION
EX., SOLVING PUZZELES AND COMING UP WITH PROBLEM SOLVING
STRATEGIES
BOTH TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE INCREASE THROUGHOUT CHILDHOOD
AND ADOLESCENCE
FLUID INTELLIGENCE PEAKS IN ADOLESCENCE AND BEGINS TO DECLINE
PROGRESSIVELY BEGINNING AROUND AGE 30 OR 40
UNITARY OR MONARCHIC THEORY
• INTELLIGENCE CONSISTS OF ONE FACTOR NAMELY
A FUND OF INTELLECTUAL COMPETENCE, WHICH IS
UNIVERSAL FOR ALL ACTIVITIES OF THE
INDIVIDUAL
ANARCHIC THEORY OR
MULTIFACTOR THEORY
• E.L THORNDIKE
• ALSO CALLED ATOMISTIC THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE
• A COMBINATION OF NUMEROUS SEPARATE
ELEMENTS OF FACTORS, EACH ONE BEING MINUTE
ELEMENT OF AN ABILITY
• THERE IS NO SUCH SINGLE FACTOR FOR
INTELLIGENCE, BUT THERE ARE MANY HIGHLY
INDEPENDENT SPECIFIC ABILITIES WHICH GO INTO
DIFFERENT TASKS
GROUP FACTOR THEORY
• L.L THURSTONE – AN AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST
• FOR THE FACTORS NOT COMMON TO ALL OF THE INTELLECTUAL ABILITES,
BUT COMMON TO CERTAIN ACTIVITIES COMPRISING A GROUP – GROUP
FACTOR WAS SUGGESTED
THURSTONE DIFFERENTIATED 9 SUCH GROUP FACTORS
VERBAL FACTOR
SPATIAL FACTOR
NUMERICAL FACTOR
MEMORY FACTOR
WORD FLUENCY FACTOR
INDUCTIVE REASONING FACTOR
DEDUCTIVE REASONING FACTOR
PERCEPTUAL FACTOR
PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITIES FACTOR