Chapter 11
Intellectual development
Some definitions of intelligence

Alfred Binet
– To judge, comprehend and reason well…

Jean Piaget
– Adaptation to the physical and social worlds

Harry Wechsler
– The global capacity …to act purposefully…to think
rationally … to deal effectively with the environment
Traditions of research on intelligence

Psychometric
– Binet, Terman, Spearman, Cattell
– Attempts to measure intelligence spawned
theories of intelligence

Cognitive
– Sternberg, Gardner
– Information processing assumptions led to models
of cognition and reasoning
Gallery of Intelligence theorists
The psychometric approach

Starting point was to develop ‘tests’ of
intelligence
– Binet-Simon Test
1890
– Stanford-Binet Test
– Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test
1930
Spearman’s 2 Factor intelligence model

Factor Analysed test scores to show
General ability
(g)
verbal, educational
spatial, mechanical
creative
verbal
spatial
mechanical
s1
s2
s3
s4
Specific abilities (s)
Guilford’s ‘structure of intellect’
Cattell - Fluid and crystallized IQ

Fluid intelligence (Gf)
– Inherited ability to solve novel, abstract
problems
– ‘Flows’ into many activities

Crystallised intelligence (Gc)
– Schooled ability to solve problems that
depend on specific, learnt knowledge
Problems with psychometric approach

Infant IQ scores tend to be unreliable

Infant IQ scores are poor predictors

School-age IQ scores predict school
performance, but not later achievement

Intelligence has been very narrowly
defined in psychometric approaches
Sternberg’s triarchic theory

Componential sub-theory
– Mental processes (e.g. problem solving)

Experiential sub-theory
– Adaptation to new tasks, creativity

Contextual sub-theory
– Ability to select contexts that suit them
Gardner - multiple intelligences

Linguistic

Logical-mathematical

Musical

Spatial

Bodily-kinaesthetic

Interpersonal

Intra-personal
All people
have these
abilities
BUT
each person
has an
individual
profile
Problems with cognitive approach

Very similar to psychometric models
– They also depend on central ‘abilities’
– Therefore, same problems

Definitions of ‘intelligence’ are more
detailed, but no more coherent
Intelligence and aging

Physiological changes in the brain affect
cognitive abilities
– But not that dramatic
– Except where a disease process is active e.g.
Alzheimer’s

Decrease of fluid intelligence in adulthood,
but increase in crystallized intelligence