intelligence
Summary
Intelligence is the cognitive capacity to learn from experience, reason, solve problems, and adapt. Theories differ: Spearman's single general factor (g) versus multiple types, as in Gardner's multiple intelligences and Sternberg's triarchic theory.
Detail
Meaning: Intelligence is the capacity to learn, reason, solve problems, and adapt to new situations. Two accounts compete. Spearman proposed g, a general factor behind performance on many different cognitive tests. Multiple-factor views reject a single measure: Gardner lists separate intelligences (such as linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal), and Sternberg's triarchic theory names analytical, creative, and practical intelligence. Cattell split g into fluid intelligence (reasoning about novel problems) and crystallized intelligence (accumulated knowledge).
Equation: IQ = (MA / CA) × 100, where MA is mental age in years, CA is chronological age in years, and IQ is dimensionless. Modern tests use deviation IQ instead: a score compared with same-age peers, with mean 100 and standard deviation 15.
On the MCAT: Expect a vignette matched to a theory (a person gifted in music but weak in math fits Gardner), a ratio IQ calculation, or a normal curve (about 68% of scores fall within one standard deviation of the mean). Fluid intelligence tends to decline with age while crystallized intelligence tends to hold steady.
Common confusion: Heritability describes variation within a population, not how much of one person's intelligence is genetic. Environment also shapes scores, so high heritability does not make intelligence fixed.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers)
- Psychology (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner)
- Discovering Psychology (Hockenbury)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.