Question- Give a critical account of the main theories formulated regarding the nature of intelligence.

Answer-

Factors Theories of Intelligence : Let us try to discuss some of these theories below :

(1) Unitary Theory : This theory holds that intelligence consists of one factor : simply a fund of intellectual competency which is universal for all the activities of the individual.

A man who has vigour can move so much to East as to the West in a similar way if one has a fund of intelligence he can utilize it to any area of his life and can be as successful in one area as in the other depending upon his fund of intelligence. But in actual life situations, the ideas propagated by this theory do not fit well. We find that the children who are bright in Mathematics may, despite serious interest and hard work, not be so good in Civics. A student very good in conducting science experiments does not find himself equally competent in learning language. This makes us conclude that there is nothing like one single unitary factor in intelligence. Therefore, the unitary theory stands rejected.

(2) Anarchic Theory or Multi Factor Theory : The main propagator of this theory was E.L. Thorndike. As the name suggests this theory considers intelligence a combination of numerous separate elements or factors, each one being a minute element of an ability. So, there is no such thing as general intelligence (a single factor) and there are only many highly independent specific abilities which go into different tasks.

In this way, Monarchic and Anarchic theories hold the two extremes. Just as we cannot assume good intelligence, a guarantee of success in all the fields of human life, we cannot also say with certain specific type of abilities one will be entirely successful in a particular area and completely unsuccessful in the other area. Actually Gardner Murphy put it, “There is a certain positive relationship between brightness in one field and brightness in another and so on.” (1968, p. 358). This brings us to the conclusion that there should be a common factor running through all tasks. The failure to explain such phenomena gave birth to another theory named Spearman’s two factor theory.

(3) Spearman’s Two-Factor Theory : This theory was advocated by Spearman. According to him every different intellectual activity involves a general factor ‘g’ which is shared with all intellectual activities and a specific ‘s’ which it shares with none.

In this way, he suggested that there is something which might be called general intelligence, a sort of general mental energy, running through all the different tasks but in addition to this general factor there are specific abilities, which make performance in Hindi is partly due to his general intelligence and partly kind of specific ability in language which he might possess i.e. g + s₁ or in Mathematics his performance will be due to g + s₂ in drawing it will be due to g + s₃ and so on an one forth. The factor g (in lesser or greater degree) will enter in all specific activities. The ability or intelligence of such an individual (symbolized as A), Thus, will be pressed by the following equation schedule.

g + s₁ + s₂ + s₃ + ...... = A

This two factor theory of Spearman has been criticized on various grounds, main reasons are given here :

(a) Spearman said that there are only two factors expressing intelligence but as have seen above there are not only two but several factors g, s₁, s₂, s₃,...... etc.

(b) According to Spearman each job requires some specific ability. This view not proper as it implied that there was nothing common in the jobs except a general factor and profession such as those of nursery, compounders and does could not be put in a group. In fact the factors s₁, s₂, s₃, s₄,...... etc. are not exclusive. They overlap and give birth to certain common factors.

This idea of overlapping and grouping has given origin to new theory all Group Factor Theory.

(4) Thurstone’s Group Factor Theory : For the factors not common to all of the intellectual abilities but common to certain activities comprising a group, the ‘group factor’ was suggested. Prominent among the propagators of this theory is Thurstone, while working on a test of primary mental abilities he came to the conclusion that certain mental operations have in common a primary factor which give them psychological and functional unity and which differentiates them from all mental operation. These mental operations constitute a group factor. So there are number of groups of mental abilities each of which has its own primary factor Thurstone and his associates have differentiated nine such factors. They are :

(a) Verbal factor (V) : concerns with comprehension of verbal relations, word & ideas.

(b) Spatial factor (S) : Involved in any task in which the subject manipulates an act imaginatively in space.

(c) Numerical factor (N) : ability to do numerical calculations, rapidly and act rately.

(d) Memory factor (M) : Involving the ability to memorize quickly.

(e) Word Fluency Factor (W) : Involved whenever the subject asked to optimal isolated words at a rapid rate.

(f) Inductive reasoning factor (RI) : ability to generalise through specific example.

(g) Deductive reasoning factor (RD) : ability to make use of generalized result.

(h) Perceptual factor (P) : ability to perceive object accurately.

(i) Problem-solving ability factor (PS) : ability to solve problem independently.

The weakest link in the group factor theory was that it discarded the concept common factor. It did not take Thurstone very long to realize his mistake and to revenue a general factor in addition to group factors.

(5) G.H. Thomson’s Sampling Theory : This theory was propagated by G.H Thomson, a brilliant psychologist. It assumes that the mind is made of many indian pendent bonds or elements. Any specific test or school activity sample some of the bonds. It is possible that two or more tests sample and utilize the same bonds, the general common factor can be said to exist among them. It is also possible that some other tests sample different bonds, then the tests have nothing in common and each specific.

This theory seems to combine various theoretical view points as :
(a) It appears to be similar to Thorndike’s Multifactor theory except that it consider to the practical usefulness of a concept like ‘g’.

(b) At the same time Thomson seems to maintain that the concept of group facts (G) is of equal usefulness.

(6) Vernon’s Hierarchical Theory : P.E. Vernon a British psychologist has propagated a theory of intelligence by suggesting a hierarchical structure for the organization of human intelligence.

Thus, according to Vernon, intellectual abilities of factors of intelligence lie in hierarchical order. On top we have G, a general type of major factor representing on overall intelligence of the individual. Under G. There lie two prominent group factors namely Ved (concerning with the verbal, numerical and educational abilities) and KM (connected with practical, mechanical, spatial and physical abilities). These two major factors may be divided with minor group factors and in turn these minor factors may be further sub-divided into various specific factors related with minute specific mental ability.

(7) Guilford’s Theory Involving a Model of Intellect : J.P. Guilford and his associates have developed a model of intellect on the basis of the factor analysis of several tests employed for testing intelligence of the human beings. They have come to the conclusion that any mental process or intellectual activity of the human being can be described in terms of three basic dimensions or parameters known as operation (the act of thinking or way of processing the information); contents (the terms in which we think or the type of information involved); and products (the ideas we come up with i.e., the fruits of a thinking).

Each of these parameters-operations, contents and products-may be further sub-divided into some specific factors or elements. As a result, operations may be subdivided into 5 specific factors, contents into 5 and products into 6. The interaction of these three parameters. according to Guilford, thus results into the different elements or factors in one’s intelligence. In a figural form, these 150 factors or independent abilities of the human being along with the basic parameters and their divisions can be represented through a model named as Guilford’s Model of Intellect or Intelligence.

Conclusion about the Factors of Theory of Intelligence : Each of the seven theories of intelligence described above attempts to provide a structure of intelligence in term of its.

Constitutes or factors. These theories exhibit wide variations in terms of the number of factors that they are consider important. The range of all such factors also varies from 1 (unitary theory) to 150 (Guilford’s Intellect Model). However, for understanding what goes on inside one’s intelligence we must try to build an eclectic view by incorporating the essence of all the workable theories of intelligence. Consequently, any intellectual activity or mental task may be said to involve the following three kinds of basic factors :

1. General factors (g) : Common to all task.
2. Specific factors : Specific to all task.
3. Group factors (G) : Common to the task belonging to a specific group.

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