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GENERAL INTELLIGENCE
C O N S I S T S O F B O T H
FLUID AND CRYSTALLIZED
INTELLIGENCE
RAYMOND CATTELL (1905–1998)
R
aymond Cattell, considered
to be one of the dozen most
eminent psychologists of
the 20th century, contributed hugely
to the study of human intelligence,
motivation, and personality. His
interest in intelligence was sparked
early in his career when he was a
student of Charles Spearman, the
British psychologist who defined
“g”—a single-factor, general
intelligence that serves as the
foundation for all learning.
In 1941, Cattell developed this
concept further, defining two
different types of intelligence thatmade up “g”: fluid and crystallized
intelligence. Fluid intelligence is
a series of thinking or reasoning
abilities that can be applied to
any issue or “content.” Sometimes
described as the intelligence we
use when we don’t already know
how to do something, it comes into
play automatically in processes
such as problem-solving and
pattern recognition, and it is
thought to be closely related to
working memory capacity.
Cattell suggests fluid intelligence
is genetically inherited, which may
account for individual differences.IN CONTEXT
APPROACH
Intelligence theoryBEFORE
1900s Alfred Binet claims
intelligence can be measured,
and introduces the term
“intelligence quotient” (IQ).1904 Charles Spearman
identifies “g” as an underlying
property of intelligence.1931 In The Measurement of
Intelligence, Edward Thorndike
says that there are three or four
main types of intelligence.AFTER
1950 J.P. Guilford claims that
there are around 150 different
types of intellectual ability.1989 US psychologist John
B. Carroll proposes a three-
stratum psychometric model
of intelligence, consisting
of narrow abilities, broad
abilities, and Charles
Spearman’s “g” factor.General underlying intelligence (g)
is made up of two parts.Fluid intelligence, which
is the ability to think and
reason abstractly, and to
perceive relationships
between things without
prior practice or instruction.Crystallized intelligence,
which builds from past
experiences and learnt
facts, and amounts to
judgement skills that
accumulate as we age.