PSYB21H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Rote Learning, Theory Of Multiple Intelligences, Factor Analysis
Document Summary
It is accepted today that intelligence is multi-faceted and that both genetic and environmental influences contribute to a person"s intelligence. Still debate of whether hereditary is more important than environment. Early investigators believed that intelligence is a unitary ability that affects everything a person does. To test this idea, reasearchers have performed factor analysis on intelligence tests. This is a statistical procedure that can determine which of several factors are closely related to one another without overlapping each other"s contribution. Spearman proposed that intelligence is composed of a general factor (g) and a number of specific factors (s). G factors were general mental energy or ability in cognitive tasks and s factors were unique to particular tasks. Person with high g would do well on all tasks. Variations in task performance due to varying amounts of s. Thurstone challenged this by proposing 7 primary skills comprise intelligence: verbal meaning, perceptual speed, reasoning, number, rote memory, word fluency and spatial visualization.
