Guilford’s Theory of Intelligence

Units    This  could  refer  to  words  being  symbolic  units,  shapes  as  visual  units  and  facial    expressions  as  behavioural  units.    E.g.  the  images  below  are  an  example  of  facial  expressions  acting  as  a  behavioural    unit,  thus  using  one’s  ability  to  understand  the  content  area.    

Spearman  (1863-­‐1945)  

Thurstone  (1887-­‐1955)  

Ca:ell  (1905-­‐1998)  

Guilford  (1897-­‐1987)  

First  introduced  intelligence  tests  and  found  good  performance  on  one  test  carries  over  to  other  tests.  Developed  theory  of  general  intelligence  (g).  

Agreed  with  Spearman  and  explained  ‘g’  came  from  several  primary  mental  abilities.  

‘G’  made  up  of  two  types  of  intelligence:    Crystallised  intelligence  where  knowledge  is  inGluenced  by  culture  and  Fluid  intelligence  which  is  problem  solving  without  culture  inGluence.  

Opposed  Spearman’s  theory  of  ‘g’  and  proposed  a  theory  known  as  “Structure  of  Intellect”  involving  three  dimensions;  operations,  content  and  products,  totalling  150  components  as  displayed  in  Guilford’s  cube.  

               Operations  of  Guilford’s  Structure  of  Intellect  Theory  

Evaluation Evaluation  refers  to  the  ability  to  examine  a  piece  of  information  and  decide  whether  it  is  true,  reliable  or  valid.    Convergent  Production Convergent  production  refers  to  the  ability  to  Gind  a  solution  to  a  problem  by  using  problem  solving  abilities  often  related  to  logic.  

Divergent  Production Divergent  production  refers  to  the  ability  to  produce  many  ideas  across  topics  from  one  common  point,  and  is  one  of  the  key  processes  in  creative  thinking.     Memory Memory  refers  to  the  ability  to  encode,  store  and  retrieve  information    

Cognition  Cognition  refers  to  mental  processes  of  knowing  and  thinking.  E.g.  Read  the  question  and  then  try  and  note  the  steps  and  processes  you  use  to  answer:  Which  is  larger  an  elephant  or  a  dog?    

           Classes:    The  ability  to  sort  units  into  the  appropriate  groups  by  a  common  property.  E.g.  dogs  grouped  with  dogs,  and  cats  with  cats  when  categorised  into  type  of  animal    Systems:  Systems  refers  to  how  information  is  organised.  The  relationships  between  two  or  more  units.    Relations:    Refers  to  the  ability  to  create  a  link  between  items  of  information.      Transformations  The  ability  to  comprehend  changes  in  information    Implications  They  are  predictions  made  from  information  present.              

 

Contents  of  Guilford’s  Structure  of  Intellect  Theory  

                       Visual:  This  is  the  information  received  directly  through  sight.      Auditory:  Auditory  information  is  gained  through  hearing.    Symbolic:      This  includes  items  that  don’t  convey  a  meaning  on  their  own  but  can  be  combined  to  create  information  that  can  be  recognised.    Semantic:  The  meaning  of  a  source  is  interpreted  and  used  effectively  to  recognise  and  store  information.      Behavioural:  Behavioural  Information  is  received  through  observing  others  mental  states  or  overt  behaviour.                      

 

         Guilford’s  Structure  of  Intellect  can  be  visually  represented  on  a  three  dimensional  cube:    •  These  abilities  are  categorised  into  3  groups:  operations;  contents;  &  products    •  According  to  Guilford  a  mental  task  could  potentially  involve  any  combination  of  the  following:  -­‐  5  types  of  operation:  evaluation;  convergent  production;  divergent  production;  memory;  &  cognition  -­‐  5  types  of  contents:  visual;  auditory;  symbolic;  semantic;  &  behavioural  -­‐  6  types  of  products:  units;  classes;  relations;  systems;  transformation;  &  implication  •  Theoretically,  this  produces  150  components  of  intelligence  (5  x  5  x  6)  

     

 Example:      Visual:  (Content;  remember  visually  seeing  the  dog).  Unit:  (Product;  the  dog  itself)  Memory:  (Operation;  remembering  it)  

 

               Products  of  Guilford’s  Structure  of                                                            Intellect  Theory