Raymond Cattell’s theory of intelligence

This researcher created a theory that distinguishes between fluid and crystallized intelligence.

Raymond B. Cattell's theory of intelligence is one of the most influential in this field. is one of the most influential in this field of study.

This multifactorial and hierarchical theory proposes that there is a general factor of intelligence that depends on genes and manifests itself in multiple cognitive abilities, which factor analysis groups into two factors: fluid and crystallized intelligence..

Cattell's theory of intelligence

Raymond Bernard Cattell (1905-1998) was an English psychologist who became famous for his psychometric research on the human mind. psychometric research on the human mindwhich focused particularly on personality and intelligence. From factor analysis, in which he was a pioneer, he developed two very influential theories on these psychological constructs.

Other topics of interest to Cattell include motivation, emotion, learning, creativity, academic and career orientation, and social interaction. However, he is best known for his factor theory of personality and for the 16PF questionnaire, which was derived from his model and is still one of the most widely used today.

In the work of this author, the influence of the statistician Charles Spear the influence of the statistician Charles Spearmanwho used factor analysis even before Cattell. In particular, Cattell's theory of intelligence is derived from Spearman's bifactor theory, which argued that there is a general cognitive factor (g) that explains lower-level aptitudes.

John L. Horn, a disciple of Cattell, later developed his theory, focusing on fluid and crystallized intelligence; so did John B. Carroll. This is why the theory we will describe in this article is often called the "Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory". is often called "Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory"..

First-order cognitive skills

Through factor analysis Cattell identified a series of primary factors that structure intelligence. primary factors that structure intelligence. He paid special attention to the first two, which he identified with fluid and crystallized intelligence; we will discuss these two factors in detail in the following section.

1. Fluid reasoning

This aptitude consists of the flexible and deliberate use of mental operations to adapt to new situations and solve problems in which one has no experience. It is also known as fluid intelligence and includes processes such as inductive and deductive reasoning, concept formation, classification and identification of relationships.

2. Comprehension-Knowledge

The Comprehension-Knowledge factor, which corresponds to crystallized intelligence, is the knowledge accumulated during life and is influenced by the sociocultural context, as well as by the educational level. It is based fundamentally on the learning of verbal and procedural information.

3. Quantitative knowledge

Quantitative knowledge is defined as the quantity and depth of numerical and mathematical knowledge, both at the declarative and procedural levels. It is acquired mainly through formal education, and is therefore associated with crystallized intelligence.

4. Reading and writing aptitude

This factor is similar to the previous one, although in this case the material is not mathematical but linguistic. Skills such as reading comprehension, spelling ability, language knowledge and reading speed are related to this aptitude. and reading speed are related to this aptitude.

5. Short-term memory

For Cattell, short-term memory is the ability to retain and manage information obtained in the last minute or so; therefore, in today's terms it would be more appropriate to think of working memory when conceptualizing this factor.

6. Long-term storage and retrieval

This ability is associated with long-term memory and also with working memory, as it encompasses the subcategories of long-term memory.It includes the sub-factors that allow the consolidation of information in memory, as well as its retrieval and management. Related factors include free recall, fluency in the association of ideas, naming facility, and creativity.

7. Visual processing

Cattell defined visual processing as the ability to generate, store, retrieve and modify images. generate, store, retrieve and modify images. This factor includes lower order factors such as visual memory, visualization, visual pattern detection, spatial scanning and mental rotation.

8. Auditory processing

Tasks involving the perception of sounds and the functioning of the auditory system are related to this skill. Subfactors that make up auditory processing include frequency and pitch discrimination, resistance to sound distortion, and memory for sound patterns.

9. Processing speed

This factor is defined as the ability to to carry out easy or overlearned cognitive tasks efficiently. efficiently. It is associated with different types of material; for example, the speed of calculation, reading and writing depend on this aptitude, but so do the speed of reasoning and the speed of perception.

10. Reaction and decision time

The tenth first-order aptitude described by Cattell is the ability to make quick responses or decisions when faced with specific stimuli. It weighs in the time to choose between alternatives, in the speed of semantic processing and in the speed of mental comparison, among other lower factors.

Fluid and crystallized intelligence

Cattell gave great importance to two of the primary cognitive skills, namely primary cognitive skillsComprehension-Knowledge and Fluent Reasoning. He considered that these two factors, which he called "crystallized" and "fluid" intelligence, respectively, explained the rest to a large extent. This dichotomy is still very popular in the psychology of intelligence.

According to this author and many subsequent studies fluid intelligence has an important genetic-hereditary component.It is influenced by physical condition, declines in old age and is involved in novel problem solving. This type of intelligence encompasses skills such as spatial reasoning, memory and processing speed.

In contrast, crystallized intelligence is derived from learningIt is therefore more influenced by culture and socialization than fluid intelligence and is not as affected by age. Verbal skills depend mainly on crystallized intelligence, and executive functions are also influenced by it.

Cattell's analysis further identified a general factor underlying both fluid and crystallized intelligence: historical fluid intelligence, which is basically equivalent to the "g" factor described by Spearman to both fluid and crystallized intelligence: historical fluid intelligence, which is basically equivalent to the "g" factor described by Spearman and many later authors. This nuclear cognitive factor has a Biological character and is mostly related to fluid intelligence.

Therefore, although Cattell's theory of intelligence is usually classified as a multifactorial model, it is also true that it has a relevant hierarchical component. Fluid intelligence influences different aptitudes, many of which also weigh on a primary factor related to learning (crystallized intelligence).