1 Psychology and human development1.5 Intelligence
1.5.1 Models of intelligence
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Written by Resident Doctor Committee · Published
New in the 2027 syllabus
The College added this topic for exams from January 2027.
General and specific abilities
Intelligence is a construct: an idea describing the capacity to learn, reason and adapt to mental demands. A test score only samples these abilities, under that test's particular conditions.
People who do well on one cognitive test tend to do well on others. This positive correlation between different tests is called the positive manifold.
Factor analysis models the variation that tests share through latent factors. A factor is inferred from the scores, not observed directly.
Spearman's model explains performance by general intelligence, g, plus an ability specific to the task.
Hierarchical models
Level | What it represents | Examples |
|---|---|---|
General | Performance shared across broad areas | General intelligence |
Broad | Families of related abilities | Fluid reasoning, crystallised knowledge, processing speed |
Narrow | More specific abilities | Vocabulary, memory span |
Fluid intelligence is reasoning through new problems.
Crystallised intelligence is knowledge and skills gained through experience.
Processing speed, working memory and attention all contribute to test performance. They are related, but they are not interchangeable.
Executive control helps a person hold a goal in mind, resist distraction and change strategy. Sleep, mood, sensory impairment and education can all affect performance.
Broader accounts
Account | What it proposes | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|
Sternberg | Analytical, creative and practical abilities | Practical intelligence is about adapting to everyday demands |
Gardner | Multiple intelligences, including linguistic, spatial, musical and interpersonal capacities | Distinct talents do not prove statistically independent intelligences |
Emotional intelligence | Perceiving, understanding and regulating emotion | Ability tests differ from self-rated trait measures |
Gardner's full list also includes logical-mathematical, bodily-kinaesthetic, intrapersonal and naturalistic intelligences.
Construct validity needs evidence that a proposed ability is measured consistently and adds something beyond existing cognitive or personality measures.