So, as I said, there's a theory of intelligence called the Cattell-Horn-Carroll
theory of Intelligence. This is the best known compromise between the singular
intelligence theory and the multiple intelligences theory. This theory focuses
on the idea that intelligence comes in two distinct forms. Fluid and
crystallized intelligence. Now if you remember from lesson five on development,
fluid intelligence was the raw intelligence. This is the processing power and
it's relatively free from the culture and environmental influences.
Crystallized intelligence on the other hand reflects what you learn from your
environment and your experiences. Let's look at the Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory
as a hierarchy. It focuses on three broad levels. The first level is the
general intelligence or the g factor. The second level is the broad level of
intelligence. They're usually your general abilities. This is where your
crystallized intelligence and your fluid intelligence comes into play. As well
as things like, your general memory, or your processing speed. Now there's
other abilities that go in this level, but these are the main four. And finally
the last level, is the narrow level. This consists of specific forms of
cognitive abilities from each of the broader domains. For example, with
crystallized intelligence, it would be things like reading, spelling, or
language comprehension. And for fluid intelligence, it would be things like
speed of reasoning or facial reasoning. The main idea here is that intelligence
would be a hierarchy. We start with the general idea of intelligence, the g
factor, one intelligence. Then we go to a more broad level. This includes
abilities such as crystallized and fluid intelligence, or memory and processing
speed, among others. Then finally, from there, it narrows down into specific
abilities for each one of these.
