Vernon’s Hierarchical Model: the keys to this theory of intelligence

Vernon's Hierarchical Model is one of the most important models of intelligence in psychology.

Many models have been created in psychology to try to explain the phenomenon of intelligence better and better.

One of them is the so-called Vernon's hierarchical model.. It is the one we will focus this article in order to deepen in this theory and to know all the particularities that differentiate it from the others. We will also discover the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.

What is Vernon's Hierarchical Model?

Vernon's hierarchical model is a theory proposed by the Canadian psychologist a theory proposed by the Canadian psychologist Philip Vernon to try to explain the functioning of intelligence.The new models of the time offered explanations for interpreting and predicting this phenomenon at that time.

It is also possible to find the terminology of Vernon-Burt's hierarchical structure, since Cyril Burt, a British psychologist, was another of the authors who contributed to the creation of these new models, which were based on the hierarchy of factors as opposed to other previous approaches.

The key underlying Vernon's hierarchical model is precisely that it is based on the premise that intelligence is not a single quality, but a range of capacities within each subject, each one destined to a series of tasks, but not all with the same importance. It is precisely this hierarchy that distinguishes this theory.

Therefore, what Vernon affirms is that it will be some parts of intelligence, in particular, which will have a dominance over the rest of them. Therefore, it would be a factorial type model, with dominant factors and sub-factors that would be subordinate to them. Each dominant factor would have a group of associated sub-factors. In turn, new levels can occur, creating a pyramid of factors.

In this way, a very precise or very technical skill in a person would be represented in Vernon's hierarchical model as one of the lowest level subfactors, since it would depend on other factors.It would depend on other factors, increasingly broader and therefore higher in the hierarchy.

Structure of Vernon's hierarchical model

We have seen a first approximation of Vernon's hierarchical model. We must now continue to explore its structure in order to understand it better. We have already seen that, for Vernon, the most concrete skills of intelligence are placed at the most subordinate level of all, and from there they move upwards towards more general skills.

But what sits at the top of that pyramid? At the top of Vernon's hierarchical model we would find none other than the g factor of intelligence, also known as the general cognitive factor.also known as the general cognitive factor. This concept was introduced by another psychologist, the British Charles Spearman.

Spearman was one of the pioneers in the theories of intelligence, and without his work many of the subsequent investigations that led to new theories could not have been carried out, among which is the one that concerns us here, that of Vernon's hierarchical model.

Returning to the g factor of intelligence, we should know that it refers to a construct that would encompass all the possible cognitive abilities of intelligence.. That is to say, it would be intelligence in its entirety, including any possible type of ability that the person in question can perform. Factor g represents the point in the structure where there can be the most variation between different individuals.

We already know the factor at the top of the pyramid, according to Vernon's hierarchical model. We will now move on to further discover the peculiarities of this theoretical structure. At a level immediately below the g-factor of intelligence would be the major group factors. These would act as the general categories of intelligence, in a very broad sense.

These major categories would be two. The first of these refers to those skills acquired through the educational process and consisting fundamentally of verbal and numerical skills.. This category is broader than it may seem, since it would actually encompass any theoretical concept that we could learn, since it will always be codified in a verbal or numerical form.

The other general category of intelligence, instead of referring to theory, refers to practice. It would encompass all matters relating to mechanical, spatial and physical intelligence. Within this block, we would find all skills related to performance. As we can see, between both categories, any skill that could be included within intelligence would be included.

Lower levels of Vernon's hierarchical model.

We already have the highest part of Vernon's hierarchical model, which is the g factor of intelligence, and the first step of subordination, the two large blocks we have just seen. If we continue our way down, we would arrive at a new rung, with factors that are more specific but at the same time more subordinate to the higher levels.

Below these two major categories, which represented the major group factors, we would find a set, the minor group factors..... The minor ones are more numerous, since we are no longer talking about such large blocks as in the upper echelon. They would be broad abilities of the human being.

This step represents an intermediate point in Vernon's hierarchical model, because although we have said that they are broad skills, they are still more concrete than the general categories of the higher level (remember, the education factor, verbal-numerical and the practical, spatial-mechanical and physical), but at the same time they are not so concrete as to represent specific skills.

That is why we would still find an additional step, the most subordinate of all, but at the same time the one that represents all those qualities of intelligence required for a very concrete task. At this point we can appreciate in all its splendor the outline of Vernon's hierarchical model.

We have started at the top of the model, where we find the g-factor, intelligence in general. Going down a step, we find two main categories, one for theory-related issues and the other for practical ones. Continuing the descent, that's when the lower group factors appear, for general skills. Y, going down to the bottom rung, we find the specific factors, i.e., those referring to specific skills..

The importance of Vernon's hierarchical model

After a review of the scheme proposed by Vernon's hierarchical model, we should pause for a moment to review the importance of this approach in studies on intelligence throughout the twentieth century. To do so, we should mention two other models that preceded Vernon's model.

One of them we have already anticipated, since it would be the two-factor (bifactor) model, proposed by Charles Spearman. the two-factor (bifactorial) model, proposed by Charles Spearman.. One of these factors would be g, which we have already discussed. It would be the general factor of intelligence. The other would be the s factor. This, on the other hand, is the factor, or rather, specific factors.

On the other hand, there would be the theory of multiple factors, or theory of primary mental aptitudes, Louis Leon Thurstone, an American psychologist.. The approach would be just the opposite of Spearman's, since what Thurstone suggests is that there is no general factor g, but only specific factors, which would correspond to each specific ability of the person.

It is in the face of the divergence of these two models that we can discover the importance of Vernon's hierarchical model. Indeed, this approach represents a reconciliation between the two theories. Vernon took up, on the one hand, Spearman's idea of a general factor (the g factor), but also the specific factors or mental aptitudes suggested by Thurstone.

Example of Vernon's hierarchical model

To conclude, we will quickly analyze an example that will allow us to better visualize Vernon's hierarchical model. To do so, we will analyze a very specific ability, that of spelling. To do so, we will begin at the top of this model. Any skill, whatever it may be, has to start at the top, at factor g, since this encompasses all the others..

If we go down a step, we would realize that we are dealing with a skill corresponding to the verbal-numerical factor, since it is acquired theoretically, through educational processes. If we continue downward, already at the level of the lower general factors, we would find ourselves at the factor of reading, a more concrete skill but one that can in turn be subdivided.

And that is precisely what we will do, going down the last step of Vernon's hierarchical model and finding the specific concrete factor, the one that allows us to spell a word. But it is not the only specific factor in reading, for there are many others, such as comprehension, vocabulary or speed, among others.

Bibliographical references:

• Spearman, C. (1946). Theory of general factor. British Journal of Psychology.
• Thurstone, L.L., Thurstone, T.G. (1938). Primary mental abilities. Psychometric Monographs.
• Vernon, P.E. (2014). Intelligence and Cultural Environment (Psychology Revivals). Routledge.
• Vernon, P.E. (2014). The structure of human abilities (Psychology Revivals). Routledge.