Theories of human intelligence

April 19, 2024

Being smart is good. It is something that everyone knows, since it supposes having a high level of intelligence helps us to deal effectively with the different events of life.

But nevertheless… What exactly is to be intelligent? What do we mean intelligently? At the time of answering these questions, the doubt appears, the answer being neither simple nor insubstantial.

In fact, the study of intelligence is a complex phenomenon that has been explored extensively and frequently from psychology, there being a lot of ways of understanding what and how is intelligence and having raised numerous theories of human intelligence throughout history .

Intelligence: a complex concept

In a generic way and without going into detail about what is part of it we can consider intelligence as the capacity or set of mainly cognitive abilities that allow us to adapt to the environment, solve the problems that this poses and even anticipate them successfully. . However, the Different authors who have treated and studied intelligence have found different definitions of this concept , contradicting some while others are complementary.

At the time of carrying out these studies different approaches have been used, some of which have a more experimental, genetic or functional approach. One of the focuses has been focused on determining the components of intelligence in order to understand it, this being the approach proper to the factorial theories on which this article is based.

Two large groups of theories

Although as we have said there are various ways of classifying the huge variety of theories regarding what we consider intelligence , one of the clearest is the one that is most divisive among the different conceptualizations: if the intelligence is one or, on the contrary, there are several types of intelligence.

A unitary intelligence

The first studies concerning intelligence and intellectual capacity worked under the assumption that intelligence is a single general capacity, unmodifiable and genetically determined. Through these theories have been elaborated Psychometric tests that assess intelligence based on its reflection in standardized tests , measuring through them the IQ or IQ. According to these theories, then, intelligence was unifactorial

Capability set

There are other theories that stipulate that intelligence it is not a single capacity, but rather it is a set of skills and independent skills among themselves. This explains why there are geniuses in some aspects such as music and art that have a limited logical capacity, or intellectual eminences that are incapable of projecting such knowledge or understanding the reactions of others. It is this type of theories, multifactorial, are the most considered to date .

Main theoretical proposals

Be considered a single or multiple capacity, the truth is that the research in this regard has been extensive and has allowed the construction of various theories. Some of the most considered throughout history are the following.

First approximations: Binet

The name of Alfred Binet is especially known for having been the creator of the first scale of measurement of intelligence . This author, who considered intelligence a single capacity, was one of the first to explore the concept of mental age as the age in which most subjects are able to perform or solve a particular problem. He believed that skills and abilities could be improved through education and training.

The concept of mental age would be used by this author as a measure of intelligence. After him, William Stern would link this mental age to the chronological age in order to be able to evaluate in a comparative way the level of intellectual development and finally with all this Terman would end up creating the concept of Intellectual Quotient or CI.

Two-Factor Spearman Theory

One of the first theories of intelligence, Spearman proposes in his bifactorial theory of intelligence that there is a general intellectual capacity o G Factor, which is common to all the activities we carry out.

However, depending on the type of activity we do, we will have to apply specific skills to carry it to a successful end, specific capabilities that are called Factor s. While the g factor is hereditary and unmodifiable, specific skills could be improved through learning and education.

Theory of intelligence of Cattell

One of the best known theories of intelligence is that of Raymond Cattell . In his theory, this author interprets, partly based on the bifactorial theory, that intellectual capacity is shaped by two types of intelligence: fluid and crystallized. While fluid intelligence corresponds to reasoning and the general ability to adapt in novel situations, without learning influencing the performance carried out, crystallized intelligence refers to the ability to apply the knowledge learned throughout life.

On the other hand, Cattell did not believe that the g-factor was a reflection of a natural process that actually occurs in the human brain, but that it would simply be a statistical product caused by the fact that when measuring it is not possible to isolate well the actually existing processes .

It also explores its development throughout life, stating that crystallized intelligence varies throughout life, increasing with the accumulation of experience, while fluid intelligence would be fixed after brain maturation during adolescence.

Vernon's hierarchical model

A type of theory that has also worked in the field of intelligence is that of hierarchical models, whose main representative is Philip Edward Vernon . These models are based on the idea that the specific factors (those specific to the specific activities we carry out) are the bases of superior capacities, which form hierarchies until reaching the general capacity or intelligence. The last two divisions before reaching the g factor would be the verbal-educational and spatial-motor factors, which the author links to a specific hemisphere.

In addition to this, the Vernon model proposes that intelligence can be understood in three parts: A, B and C. Intelligence A understands intelligence as the possibility to learn and adapt, intelligence B corresponds to the level of ability demonstrated in the behavior and intelligence C refers to the score obtained in intelligence tests.

Theory of the primary aptitudes of Thurstone

As we have indicated previously, not all authors agreed that intelligence was a unique capacity, there being authors who considered mental capacity a composite and multifactorial element. Louis Leon Thurstone did not believe in the existence of a general factor of intelligence, but different independent factors in their operation but linked together they allow guiding behavior in order to be able to cope with the demands of the environment.

For this reason he developed the theory of primary mental aptitudes, one of the first multifactorial theories of intelligence, in which through factor analysis he found various aptitudes that allow correct adaptation to the environment. Specifically Thurstone refers to the abilities of verbal comprehension, verbal fluency, memory, spatial ability, numerical capacity, agility / perceptive speed and logical reasoning.

Theory of Guilford's intellect structure

Another of the authors who opposed the idea of a unique intelligence was Joy Paul Guilford. This author presents a theory of intelligence based on a three-dimensional model , in which intellectual operations, contents and products of the intellect are taken into account when evaluating any intellectual factor from a perspective similar to the cognitivist one.

The contents of the intellect would refer to the type of information with which the intellect operates from stimuli, which may be figurative, symbolic, semantic or behavioral content.

Mental operations are understood by the processes from which the information is worked , these operations being cognition, memory, evaluation and convergent and divergent production. Finally, mental operations reflect a series of results, which can occur in the form of information units, classes or concepts, relationships, systems, transformations of information and a work of association or involvement between stimuli and information.

In addition to this operational consideration of mental processes, the author links the intelligence to the ability to generate new strategies and solutions to the problems raised beyond the typical, useful that have been manifested. Thus, intelligence it is also related to creativity and divergent thinking .

Triarchic theory of Sternberg

We can not fail to see that the theories presented focus to a great extent on how intelligence is structured as something internal, regardless of where it is applied. Robert J. Sternberg also took this fact into account, elaborating his triarchic theory from which it is considered that there are three types of intelligence.

The first of these is analytical intelligence, which corresponds to the traditional idea of intelligence as well as the ability to acquire, encode and store information, being able to perform a theoretical analysis of the situation.

The second of Sternberg's intelligences is practical intelligence refers to the ability to contextualize, that is, the ability to select the most adaptive and appropriate behavior or strategy according to the needs and resources derived from the medium. Theoretically, it would be very similar to the crystallized intelligence proposed by Cattell and other authors from him.

Finally there is one more intelligence for Sternberg, the creative intelligence treated in its experiential subtheory through which we have the ability to deal with novel situations by working and developing strategies based on information acquired throughout life.

Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory

Howard Gardner has been a critical figure with the idea of the presence of a single intelligence and the fact that it can be measured by the IQ. In fact, it must be borne in mind that classic intelligence tests measure essentially logical and verbal skills, not observing the importance of other capabilities at the time of being able to adapt to the environment.

This author considers that it is not possible to speak of a single skill that can be qualified as intelligence. It considers that the intellectual capacity and the performance are due to a conglomerate of mental abilities common in all to a greater or lesser extent, establishing different types of intelligence to apply in different contexts. Specifically, although it is open to the possibility that there are more, Gardner highlights new; the logical-mathematical intelligence, linguistic, kinetic-corporal, intrapersonal, interpersonal, spatial, musical, naturalistic.

You can learn more about Gardner's theory in this article: "Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences"

Other theories

There are many other theoretical proposals of intelligence. For example, emotional intelligence posed by Daniel Goleman it is a concept increasingly used among the general population.

This theory considers that the ability to identify, manage, modify and manipulate one's own and others' emotions is a form of intelligence to be taken into account. At present, social intelligence is also being discussed, although it could be included in interpersonal intelligence.