- Explain the triarchic theory of intelligence
- Explain the multiple intelligences theory
- Understand IQ testing
- Explain how IQ is measured
- Define creativity, divergent, and convergent thinking
Classifying Intelligence
What is intelligence?
Psychologists define intelligence as the ability to learn from experience, adapt to new situations, understand complex ideas, and use reasoning and problem-solving to navigate the world. Although these ideas seem straightforward, researchers have debated for decades whether intelligence is one ability, many abilities, or some combination of both.
Early Theories of Intelligence
British psychologist Charles Spearman argued that intelligence is a single, general ability he called g (general intelligence). People who excelled in one intellectual area (like math) tended to excel in others (like language), suggesting a shared underlying capacity.
Spearman’s idea mirrors views held by ancient thinkers such as Aristotle, who also believed intellectual strengths shared a common core.
In the 1940s, psychologist Raymond Cattell proposed that “g” actually has two major components:
crystallized and fluid intelligence
Crystallized Intelligence
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Knowledge you’ve acquired and can retrieve
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Used when recalling facts, vocabulary, or learned skills
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Helps you solve familiar, straightforward problems
Fluid Intelligence
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Ability to think flexibly and solve novel, abstract problems
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Used when navigating an unfamiliar city or solving a puzzle you’ve never seen before
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Peaks in young adulthood and tends to decline slowly with age
Together, these two forms of intelligence help explain why someone might be very knowledgeable yet struggle with new problem-solving tasks—or vice versa.
The Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Robert Sternberg developed another theory of intelligence, which he titled the triarchic theory of intelligence because it sees intelligence as comprised of three parts (Sternberg, 1988): practical, creative, and analytical intelligence (Figure 1).
practical intelligence
Practical intelligence, as proposed by Sternberg, is sometimes compared to “street smarts.” Being practical means you find solutions that work in your everyday life by applying knowledge based on your experiences.
This type of intelligence appears to be separate from traditional understanding of IQ; individuals who score high in practical intelligence may or may not have comparable scores in creative and analytical intelligence (Sternberg, 1988).
analytical intelligence
Analytical intelligence is closely aligned with academic problem-solving and computations. Sternberg says that analytical intelligence is demonstrated by an ability to analyze, evaluate, judge, compare, and contrast.
When reading a classic novel for literature class, for example, it is usually necessary to compare the motives of the main characters of the book or analyze the historical context of the story. In a science course such as anatomy, you must study the processes by which the body uses various minerals in different human systems. In developing an understanding of this topic, you are using analytical intelligence. When solving a challenging math problem, you would apply analytical intelligence to analyze different aspects of the problem and then solve it section by section.
You can view the transcript for “Can you solve the prisoner hat riddle? – Alex Gendler” here (opens in new window).
creative intelligence
Creative intelligence is marked by inventing or imagining a solution to a problem or situation. Creativity in this realm can include finding a novel solution to an unexpected problem or producing a beautiful work of art or a well-developed short story.
Imagine for a moment that you are camping in the woods with some friends and realize that you’ve forgotten your camp coffee pot. The person in your group who figures out a way to successfully brew coffee using atypical supplies would be credited as having higher creative intelligence because of their novel problem-solving skills.