Theories of Intelligence .

Running head: THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE
THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE
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THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE
Over time, various researchers had defined intelligence in different ways but a
cumulative study shows intelligence to involve the level of the ability of people to learn,
recognize problems and thereby solve problems. It includes the ability of individuals to include
logic, effective reasoning as well as problem solving and planning attributes. Various
researchers have proposed different theories of intelligence for explaining the nature of
intelligence.
In the “general intelligence” theory put forward by Charles Spearman, a concept called
“G factor” or general intelligence is described. The researcher had conducted an experiment with
the help of a technique called the factor analysis, as he wanted to experiment different types of
mental aptitude tests. Spearman had stated that individuals who performed well in one test also
performed well in the other tests. Individuals who scored poorly in one test also scored similarly
in the other tests (KAUFMAN, 2018). Therefore, he was of the opinion that intelligence is
actually a general cognitive ability which can be measured successfully and thereby expressed
numerically. Another psychologist called Louis L Thurstone had offered another theory
of intelligence. It was noticed that in place of viewing intelligence as a single and
general ability, the scientist Thurstone had mainly focused on seven different primary
mental abilities that constitute the concept of intelligence. These abilities are verbal
comprehension, perceptual speed, reasoning, word fluency, numerical ability, spatial
visualization and associative memory.
Another theory called the Multiple Intelligences had been put forward by the famous
psychologist namely Howard Gardner. He was of the opinion that analysis of the test scores
and the numerical expression of the human intelligence in the form of IQ are not the correct