INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES:

Theories of
Intelligence
that Influence
Individual
Differences Presented by Group 8
Individual Differences
• the more - or - less enduring psychological
characteristics that distinguish one person from
another

• help to define each person’s individuality:

1. Intelligence
2.Personality Traits and
3.Values
What is Intelligence?
Collins English Dictionary Macmillan Dictionary

‘the ability to think, ‘it is the ability

reason, understand to understand
instead of doing and think about
things things, and to
automatically or by gain and use
instinct’ knowledge’
 Four Conceptual Approaches To
Intelligence
1.Psychometric Approach: Measures intelligence
through standardized tests, focusing on cognitive abilities
like IQ.
2.Cognitive Approach: Studies mental processes like
problem-solving and learning that underlie intelligent
behavior.
3.Biological Approach: Examines the brain's structure,
function, and genetics to understand intelligence.
 Theories of
Intelligence
THAT INFLUENCE INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

01 02 03
TRIACHIC THE GARDNER’S
THEORY OF GENDER THEORY OF
INTELLIGENCE MULTIPLE
SCHEMA
BY INTELLIGENCE
STERNBERGE
THEORY
TRIARCHIC
THEORY OF
INTELLIGENCE
BY
ROBERT J.
STERNBERG
• A professor of Human
Development in the College of
Human Ecology
• Transformed the study of
Intelligence with his “Triarchic”
theory of successful intelligence
• He received the 2017 William
James Fellow Award from the
Association for Psychology
 Triarchic Theory

Componentia Contextual
l Subtheory Experiential Subtheory
Subtheory

Metacomponent Novelty Adaptation

s Performance Automation Selection
Knowledge Shaping
Aquisition
Triarchi Theory:
3 Major Components of Intelligent
Behavior
1. Componential Intelligence (Analytical):
This involves the ability to analyze, evaluate,
judge, compare, and contrast. It's typically
measured by traditional IQ tests and involves
problem-solving skills, logical reasoning, and
the ability to break down complex problems
into manageable parts.
3 Subcomponents of Componential Intelligence
1.Meta-component: Higher-level processes that guide
planning, monitoring, and decision-making in problem-solving.
2.Performance Component: The mental actions taken to
solve problems, based on the instructions from meta-
components.
3.Knowledge-Acquisition Component: Processes that help
learn and integrate new information, such as identifying and
combining relevant details.
Triarchi Theory:
2. Experiential Intelligence (Creative):
This focuses on a person's ability to deal with
new situations using past experiences and
current skills. It includes innovative thinking,
imagination, and the capacity to come up with
original solutions to problems.
2 Subcomponents of Experiential Intelligence

1.Novelty: The ability to handle unfamiliar situations

and generate original solutions through creative
thinking.
2.Automation: The ability to make routine tasks
automatic through experience, freeing up mental
resources for creative tasks.
Triarchi Theory:
3. Contextual Intelligence (Practical): Often
referred to as "street smarts," this involves the
ability to adapt to the environment, solve real-
world problems, and apply knowledge in
everyday contexts. It emphasizes practical
problem-solving, knowing how to get things
done in different situations.
3 Subcomponents of Contextual Intelligence

1.Adaptation: Adjusting behavior or thinking to fit and respond

to the environment effectively.
2.Shaping: Altering the environment to better suit personal
goals or needs.
3.Selection: Choosing a new environment when adaptation or
shaping isn't possible to better align with one’s goals.
THE GENDER
SCHEMA
THEORY
SANDRA BEM
• Sandra Bem was an American
psychologist known for her
pioneering work on gender and
gender roles.

• She developed the Gender Schema

Theory and the Bem Sex-Role
Inventory, tools used to measure how
individuals identify with masculine
and feminine traits.

• Bem challenged traditional gender

stereotypes, advocating for a more
• Sandra Bem's Gender Schema Theory
suggests that individuals develop mental
frameworks, or "schemas," to organize and
interpret gender-related information.

• These schemas guide how people perceive,

process, and respond to gendered behavior
and expectations.

• The theory highlights how societal gender

norms are internalized and how they affect
individual behavior and identity.
Example:
• Traditional Culture: Women are for
household chores and raise children while
men work outside the home to support the
family.

- Here, children will develop a gender

schema in line with what they observe, and
through their schema, will develop an
undestanding of what they can do as boy or girl
Bem’s theory conclude that people fall
into one of four gender categories:
Cross-sex-typed: These Undifferentiated:
individuals adopt Individuals who show
behaviors and traits low identification with
traditionally associated both masculine and
with the opposite gender. feminine
For example, a male characteristics. They
displaying behaviors or don't strongly align
preferences typically with or adhere to
Sex-typed: Individuals considered feminine, or a Androgynous: People gender roles in either
whose gender identity female exhibiting in this category direction.
and behavior align with masculine traits. integrate both
traditional societal masculine and feminine
expectations for their traits, showing
biological sex (e.g., flexibility in behavior
masculine behavior in and identity. They do
males and feminine not rigidly adhere to
behavior in females). societal gender norms
They rely heavily on and can act in ways
gender schemas to guide traditionally seen as
their actions. either masculine or
GARDNER’S
THEORY OF
MULTIPLE
INTELLIGENCES
 Different Kinds of Intelligence

Visual-Spacial
Bodily-
Kinesthetic Musical
Logical-
Mathematica
l Linguistic-
Naturalistic Verbal

Interpersonal Intrapersonal
Conclusion:
In summary, the exploration of intelligence
theories—specifically Sternberg's Triarchic
Theory, Gender Schema Theory, and
Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences—
highlights the complexity of human
capabilities and individual differences.
Together, these theories underscore that
intelligence is multifaceted, shaped by both
inherent traits and environmental factors,
ultimately promoting a more inclusive
understanding of individual differences in