IQ Info

9 Pages 2300 Words

had noted that people who perform well on one type of intelligence test tend to do well on others also. Spearman gave a name to the general mental ability that carried over from one type of cognitive testing to another--g for general intelligence--and ultimately decided that it consisted mainly of the ability to infer relationships based on one's experiences. Although the concept of g has the disadvantage of being based solely on a particular statistical analysis rather than direct observation, it has remained an important part of psychometric research.
Psychometrics is still considered by many to be a valid scientific area of inquiry, but it has been challenged by researchers who approach intelligence in different ways. Instead of studying the structure of intelligence (i.e., what it is) some scientists have focused on the processes involved (how it works). A leader in this information-processing approach is Robert Sternberg, whose triarchic theory of intelligence not only addresses internal thought processes but also explores how an individual uses them to solve problems within his or her environment. The first part of Sternberg's theory, like psychometric theories, is concerned with the internal components of intelligence, although its emphasis is on process rather than structure. It analyzes the processes involved in interpreting sensory stimuli, storing and retrieving information in short- and long-term memory, solving problems, and acquiring new skills. The second part of the triarchic theory addresses the interaction between mental processes and experience, centering on the fact that, while a new experience requires complex mental responses, as it becomes increasingly familiar, the required response gradually becomes routine and automatic. In the third part of his theory, Sternberg analyzes the way that people use their intelligence to survive in the "real world" by either adapting to their environments, modifying them, or aband...