NATURE and DEFINITION

of INTELLIGENCE

Different Definition of Intelligence

from Different Psychologist
the ability to learn or profit from formal
instruction.
the ability to adapt effectively to the
environment or the ability to reason.
a cluster of relatively distinct abilities, such as
memory, reasoning, and verbal fluency.
an overall ability to act purposefully, to think
rationally, and to deal effectively with the
environment.

 According to Seamon and Kenrick it is

a collection of mental abilities that
enables us to learn from experience, to
adapt to our changing environment, to
work in a goal-directed manner, and to
solve problems and to think creatively.
Howard Gardner defined it as the
ability to find and solve problems and
create products of value in ones own
culture

THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE
Three Conceptions of the Nature
of Intelligence according to Binet
and Simon
1. The goal direction of the mental
processes involved;
2. The ability to show adaptable
solutions; and
3. The capacity to show selectively of
judgment and self-criticism of

Binet and Simon assume that intelligence grows or

develops in parallel with the childs chronological age.
Thus, a child who passes all the items at the sevenyear level is mentally seven years of age irrespective
of his chronological age. This means that the child is
able to do test items that 50 to 75 % of seven year-old
children can pass.
Thus, the theory of Binet and Simon revolves around
goal direction, adaptability, and critical judgment.

Alfred

Theodore

Spearmans TwoFactor Theory

Charles Edward
Spearman

Spearman assumes that there

are two kinds of ability; a
general ability which he
defines as the ability to
deduce abstract relationships
(G) and a specific ability (s).
G is common to all
intellectual tasks while s is
specific to a given task and
therefore of less value than
the former. Thus, there is only
one G but there are many ss.

s1

G
s2
Spearmans Theory of Intelligence

Spearmans theory is able to explain the

fact that people who show ability in one
intellectual undertaking also exhibit abilities
along their lines. This theory supports the
general intellectual ability concept of Binet
and Simon.

Spearman proposed the existence of

additional general factors such as p, o,
and w which stands for:

Preservation- represents the inertia of

the individuals supply of mental energy.

Oscillation- the extent of which it

fluctuates from time to time.

Will- a motivational personality factor

that enters into the taking of intelligence
tests.

Thurstones Weighted
Group- Factor Theory
Louis L. Thurstone, who is also well-known
for his development of the method of factor
analysis, is identified with a weighted group
factor theory of primary mental abilities.
According to him, intelligence consists of seven
independent primary abilities:
1. (V) Verbal- the ability to understand and utilize
verbal ideas effectively and primarily by vocabulary
and other verbal tests.
2. (N) Number- the ability to carry out the
fundamental arithmetic operation of addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division accurately
and rapidly.

3. (S) Spatial- the ability to deal with objects in space and

spatial relationships, as demanded in geometric problems.
4 (P) Perceptual speed- the ability to identify objects
quickly and accurately, as required in reading, map work,
and the like.
5.

(M) Memory- the ability to learn and retain information

6. (R) Reasoning- the ability to perceive and utilize abstract

relationships; to put together past experiences in the
solution of new problems.
7. (W) Word fluency- the ability to think of words rapidly.
Word fluency may be related to personality variables as
well as to intellective factors.

Diagrammatic representation of Thurstone

group-factor theory

Raymund B.
Cattels
theory is also a product of
Cattels
Theory
factor analytic techniques. It is an
extension of the Spearman and the
Thurstone analyses. Cattel says that
Spearmans and Thurstones techniques
provided evidence of two fundamental
types of intelligence, crystallized intelligence and
fluid intelligence.
FLUID INTELLIGENCE
a capacity for insight into complex
relationships. It is the capacity for acquiring
new concepts and demonstrating general
brightness and adaptability in novel situations.
It is independent of education.

CRYSTALLIZED INTELLIGENCE
is a combination of acquired knowledge and
developed intellectual skills.

Guilfords Theory
J.P. Guilford published The Nature
of Human Intelligence, in which he
proposed a radically different theory
concerning the structure of the
intellect. He denied the existence
of general factor, G, or even rejected
the possibility of intelligence being
reduced to just a few factors. In view
of this, he posted 120 unique
intellectual abilities.

COGNITION

a
MEMORY
r
e
CONVERGENT
p
O
DIVERGENT
PROD.

BEHAVIO
RAL

SYMBOLI
C
SEMANTI
C

FIGURAL

EVALUATION
PROD.

TS
I
S
N
E
U S S
S N
A
IO
L
T
C A
S
L
M
RE TE RM
S O S
Y
S SF ION
N T
A
A
R
C
I
T L
P
M
I

Contents
Model of the Structure of the
Intellect by Guilford

Products

s
n
ti o

THREE DIMENSIONS OF THE INTELLECT

1. CONTENT- type of material
2. OPERATIONS- basic intellectual processes of thinking
used by individuals.

3. PRODUCTS- result of performing operations on content

FOUR BASIC VARIETIES OF CONTENT

1. FIGURAL- concrete material as perceived through the
senses

2. SYMBOLIC- letters, digits, and other conventional signs

3. SEMANTIC- verbal meaning of ideas
4. BEHAVIORAL- knowledge regarding other persons.

FIVE AREAS OF OPERATIONS

1. COGNITION- discovery, rediscovery, and recognition
of information or understanding
2. MEMORY- retention or the ability to bring forth
information learned previously
3. CONVERGENT PRODUCTION- searching for a
correct solution to a problem

4. DIVERGENT PRODUCTION- searching for multiple,

creative, or novel solution to a problem
5. EVALUATION- placing a value judgment upon
knowledge and thought

SIX AREAS OF PRODUCTS

1. UNITS- production or a single word definition or isolated
bit of information.
2.

CLASSES- production of a concept or noting of

similarities

3. RELATIONS- production of an analogy, an opposite, or

other form of relationship

4. SYSTEM- production of an internally consistent set of

classifications of various forms of content
5.

TRANSFORMATIONS- production of a change of

meaning, arrangement or organization

6. IMPLICATIONS- production of information beyond the

data given

The four contents, five operations, and six products

involve a total of 120 unique intellectual abilities ( 4
x 5 x 6 = 120 )
THE TRIARCHIC THEORY OF
INTELLIGENCE
Robert Sternberg has been working on
a concept of intelligence that goes
beyond the conventional or traditional
theories that are confined to mental
abilities and skills.
Sternbergs triarchic theory is a three-part
theory that includes componential
intelligence, experiential intelligence, and
contextual intelligence.

Componential Intelligence

basically reflects the persons verbal

reasoning ability. It is the type of ability
measured standard intelligence tests and is
necessary for acquiring new information and
thinking critical about them.

Experiential Intelligence
enables people to adjust creatively and
effectively to new tasks and situations. It is
the ability to combine different experiences in
insightful ways to solve problems.

Contextual Intelligence
enables people to select environments in
which they can function, to adjust to those
environments, and to modify them if
necessary. It is the ability to function, in
practical everyday social situations.
Sternberg has been trying to remedy the problem
concerning the limitation of standard intelligence
tests designed to measure only academic
intelligence, the componential aspect, and ignoring
the other kinds. He has embarked on a new
research program designed to measure practical
intelligence which is more closely related to
contextual intelligence.

Practical Intelligence
Operates in the real world, as a person adapts to
and shapes his o her environment.
THE THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
a recent and more popular theory on
intelligence developed by Howard
Gardner
Based on Gardners theory,
All human beings possess all nine
intelligences in varying amounts.
Each person has a different intellectual
composition.

 We can improve education by addressing the

multiple intelligences of our students.
These intelligences are located in different
areas of the brain and can either work
independently or together.
These intelligences may define the human
species.

THE MEASUREMENT OF INTELLIGENCE

If intelligence is difficult to define, it must be
equally difficult to measure. James Mckeen Cattell
published a mental test in 1890. He administered
the test to Columbia freshmen, marking the first
large-scale testing of human subjects for the
purpose of determining the range of individual
differences.
The mental test movement is said to have
begun in 1905 with the development of the first
intelligence test by Alfred Binet with the help of a
physician, Theodore Simon.
In 1916, Lewis M. Terman published the
Stanford-Binet modification of Binets test for the
usu in the United States. Terman later revised this
version in 1937, producing two essentially
equivalent forms, the L and M. These two forms
were combined into a 1960 version called the L-M.

The Terman revisions dominated the mental

assessment field until David Wechsler produced the
Wechsler- Bellevue Intelligence Scale which later
became known as the Wechsler Ault Intelligence
Scale (WAIS) A special childrens version of this test
was produced which has hence called the Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) as well as a
test for pre-school children known as the Wechsler
Pre-School and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI).
Terman adopted the concept of intelligence
quotient or IQ.
IQ =

MA
CA

(100)

Where:
MA = mental age
CA = chronological age

The foregoing IQ is 100 ahich is mean in the

distribution.

Percent Frequency

Theoretical Distribution of Normal

IQs

How does IQ relate to intelligence?

Intelligence
is an overall capacity for particular mental
activities that cannot be measured directly.
IQ
is a number that indicates how a person
How
has performed on a particular test as
compared to others in the same age
range.

Distribution of intelligence quotients based

on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
IQ
Percent Adults
Above 130
2.2
120 129
6.7
110 119
16. 1
90 109
50.0
80 89
16.1
70 79
6.7
Below 70
2.2

Verbal Description
Very Superior
Superior
Bright Normal
Average
Dull Normal
Borderline
Defective

Is the IQ Constant?
A great number of people hold that ones IQ is
constant. This means that a person with a high IQ
will demonstrate intellectual excellence throughout
his life. This is also indicates that he is not bright
this year and then dull the next year. A good
intelligence test should reliably reflect real
intelligence and that a childs score should be
stable from one assessment to another.

THE FEEBLE MINDED

For many years, individuals who had IQs of less than
70 were considered as mentally deficient or defective.
Numbering two to three percent of the population, the
mentally deficient individuals are divided into three
groups as shown below:

1.Morons - IQ of 50 to 70
2. Imbeciles IQ of 20 to 50
3.Idiots IQ below 20
These patterns were used until 1954 when the World
Health Organization recommended the terms mild sub
normality, moderate sub normality, and severe sub
normality to desire the degrees of mental retardation.
This classification system was soon replaced by four
categories which are currently used, namely: mild,
moderate, severe, and profound.

CAUSES OF MENTAL RETARDATION

Rubella (German measles) in the mother
during the first three months of pregnancy
Syphilis
Meningitis
Toxoplasmosis
Rh-factor incompatibility between mother and
infant
Lead poisoning in young children
Malnutrition
Chromosome abnormality
Example: Down Syndrome (Mongolism)
which occurs in one out of every 600 babies
born, and usually results in mental retardation,
from moderate to severe.

Physical malformations of the brain or

other organs, originating in prenatal life or
even earlier may result in mental retardation.
Inflammation of the brain associated with
childhood measles which is preventable has
been reported to be another cause.
Destruction of brain tissue or interference
with brain development in the infant or the
young child frequently, produces mental
retardation.

THE MENTALLY GIFTED

People considered mentally gifted are found at
the top end of the distribution of IQs. The very
superior individuals are in the range 130- 140 and
the near-genius are found with IQ of 140 and
above.
Gifted children are particularly capable of quick
and generally accurate generalizations; they can
learn highly abstract symbols with great speed and
they can deduce complex relationships.

THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENT AND HEREDITY

First, it should be understood that genetics
indicates that kinship relationship has some degree
of correlation in regard to the IQ of individuals.
The classic story of the identical twins born to a
mother shows the positive relationship of
intelligence and environment. Since this mother
had no way of supporting them, one was sent to
live with an aunt and uncle while the other one
was sent to an orphanage. After five years, the
mother was able to regain possession of them. The
twins were tested in order to determine what level
in school they would be placed in. It was found that
the child who lived with an aunt and uncle had
considerably higher intelligence than the one who
had been reared in an orphanage.

THE EFFECT OF EDUCATION ON IQ

Rich Heber and his associates selected 40 families,
all with newborn infants, from an area in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. This area is defined by census bureau in
America as having the lowest education and income, the
highest population density per living unit, the highest
percentage of dilapidated housing, and the greatest
unemployment rate. Only families in which the mother
scored less than 75 on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale (WAIS) were accepted in the study.
The newborn infants were randomly assigned to
either the experimental or the control groups. Treatment
were administered to both groups. The findings indicate
that the enriched or experimental group demonstrated
substantially better and more mature levels of
performance than did the control group. Moreover, the
former was substantially above average and
occasionally superior compared to the population in

One of the implications of these findings on

education in our schools is that no matter how weak
our pupils are, still they can be helped to improve
their mental ability. Teachers should therefore
double their efforts to give their pupils remedial
measures.
Children with high cognitive abilities should be
given extra developmental activities that would
meet their nature. These are measures that can
meet individual differences. After all, education can
affect intelligence quotient.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SOME PHILIPPINE

INTELLIGENCE TESTS
1.The Philippine Indigenized Pre-School and
Primary Intelligence Test (PIPPIT)
This is an individual test designed to measure the
mental ability of children aged 5 to 9 years old.
The test consists of eight abilities which include a
total of 113 content-indigeneous items. The tests are
group into two scales:

1.Verbal Scale

which includes:
Pang-unawa (general

comprehension)
Talasalitaan (vocabulary)
Matematika (numerical ability )
Katulad ( discrimination ability )

2.Performance Scale
which includes:
.
Maling Larawan ( visual acuity )
.
Pagbuo ng Kwento ( logical reasoning)
.
.

Pagsasaulo ( rote learning or immediate recall)

Pag-aayos ng Disenyo ( spatial relations)

2.The Philippine Non- Verbal Intelligence

Test (PNIT)
The PNIT was developed in the Philippines for
use with Filipino children and those of nearby
countries with environment similar to that in the
Philippines. The test format follows that of the
Columbia Mental Maturity Scale of Burgmeister,
Blum and Lorge (1954) consisting of 100 items
each on a separate card. These are five objects,
words, or numbers on each card and the subject
is asked to select the object, word, or number
which does not go with the others. The PNIT
items utilize objects that are common in the
Philippines. The items are arranged in the order
of difficulty with the relationships between
alternatives becoming more abstract as the test

3.The Filipino Adaption of the Otis-Lennon

Mental Ability Test (Pilipino OLMAT)
It is designed primarily to assess pupils current
readiness for school- oriented learning or to predict their
likelihood of future success in dealing with the type of
tasks to be recommended for use in Grade I. Thirty test
items of the pictorial type sample the mental processes
of classification, following directions, quantitative
reasoning, and comprehension of verbal concepts. No
reading is required. Elementarya I is recommended for
pupils in Grades II and III. It is composed of 40 items and
like Primarya II, It does not require reading. Elementarya
II level is comprised of 75 items and is recommended for
use in Grade IV and VI. Various types of verbal and nonverbal items sample a wide variety of mental processes.
Emphasis is placed on the measurement of abstract
reasoning ability.

4.The Pilipino Wechsler Intelligence Scale for

Children (WISC)
The Pilipino WISC consists of 10 subtests each of
which is made up of relatively homogeneous group of
questions arranged in ascending order of difficulty and
reflecting abilities of children as they grow old. These
questions are grouped into two different scales according
to whether the test assess primarily a verbal or a
performance skill.

1. Verbal ( Pagsasalita ) Portion

A. Information ( Pangkaalaman ) indicates
alertness of the person toward the world around him.
B. Similarities ( Pagtutulad ) indicates ability
to perceive common elements of the terms the pupil
is asked to compare and the ability to bring them
under a single concept.

C. Arithmetic ( Palatuusan ) nummerical

manipulations;

D. Comprehension ( Pang- unawa ) measures the

graph of social conventionality and social judgment.
E. Vocabulary ( Talasalitaan ) measures grasp of
concepts, ideas, and experiences during ones lifetime.

2. Performance ( Pagsasagawa ) Portion

A. Picture Completion ( Pagbubuo ng Larawan )
measures perceptual and conceptual abilities;
B. Picture Arrangement ( Pagsasaayos ng
Larawan ) measures skills in seeing connection between
sequences of related events.

C. Block Design ( Pagdidisenyo ng Bloke )

measures concept formation which involves analysis
and synthesis;
D. Object Assembly ( Pagbubuo ng Bagay ) test
of motor organization
E. Coding ( Pagtatanda ) measures the capacity to
direct energy into adaptive endeavors and to retract
poorly directed effort.

Artificial Intelligence
is theintelligenceexhibited by
machines or software.
It is also an academic
field of study.
the study and design of
intelligent agents", where an
intelligent agentis a system that
perceives its environment and
takes actions that maximize its
chances of success.
the science and engineering of
making intelligent machines