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

There are many models that have been created from psychology to try to explain the phenomenon of intelligence better and better.

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

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What is the Vernon Hierarchical Model?

Vernon's hierarchical model is a theory proposed by the Canadian psychologist Philip Vernon to try to explain the functioning of intelligence, expanding the explanations that other models of the time offered to interpret and predict this phenomenon at that time.

It is also possible to find the hierarchical structure terminology of Vernon-Burt, 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 compared to other approaches previous.

The key underlying Vernon's hierarchical model is precisely that it starts from 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 that hierarchy, the element that distinguishes this theory.

Therefore, what Vernon affirms is that it will be some parts of the intelligence, specifically, those that 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 subfactors. 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 within the hierarchical model of Vernon as one of the sub-factors of the lowest level, since it would depend on other factors, increasingly broader and therefore higher in the hierarchy.

Structure of the hierarchical model of Vernon

We have seen a first approximation to Vernon's hierarchical model. Now we must continue investigating its structure in order to understand it better. We have already anticipated that, for Vernon, the most concrete skills of intelligence are at the most subordinate level of all and from there they go up steps towards more general skills.

But what is at the top of that pyramid? At the top of Vernon's hierarchical model we would find nothing less than the g factor of intelligence, 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 later investigations that gave rise to new theories, among which is the one that concerns us, that of the hierarchical model of Vernon.

Returning to the g factor of intelligence, we must know that it refers to a construct that would encompass all possible cognitive abilities of intelligence. That is, it would be the entire intelligence, including any type of possible skill that the person in question can perform. The factor g represents the point in the structure where there can be more variation between different individuals.

We already know the factor that is located in the highest part of the pyramid, according to the hierarchical model of Vernon. Now we will continue to advance to continue discovering the peculiarities of this theoretical structure. At a level immediately below the intelligence factor g, the higher group factors would be. These would act as the general categories of intelligence, in a very broad sense.

These large categories would be two. The first one is the one referred to those skills acquired through the educational process and fundamentally consistent with verbal and numerical skills. This category is broader than it may seem, since in reality it would be encompassing any theoretical concept that we could learn, since it will always be encoded in a verbal or numerical.

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

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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 great blocks that we have just seen. If we continue our downward path, we will reach a new rung, with more specific factors but at the same time more subordinate to higher levels.

Below these two large categories, which represented the largest group factors, we would find a set, the smallest group factors. The minors are more numerous, since we are no longer talking about blocks as wide as in the upper step. 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, mechanical, spatial and physical), but at the same time they are not so concrete as to represent skills specific.

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

We have started at the highest part of the model, where the g factor is found, intelligence in general. Going down a notch, we find two main categories, one for questions relating to theory and the other for practice. Continuing the descent, it is when the lower group factors appear, for general abilities. Y, going down to the last step, we find the specific factors, that is, those referring to specific skills.

The importance of Vernon's hierarchical model

After a tour of the scheme proposed by Vernon's hierarchical model, we must stop for a moment to review the importance that this approach assumed within the studies about intelligence, throughout the twentieth century. To do this, we must mention two other models that preceded Vernon's.

One of them we have already anticipated, as it would be the two-factor model (bifactorial), proposed by Charles Spearman. One of these factors would be the g, which we have already talked about. It would be the general factor of intelligence. The other would be the s factor. This, on the contrary, 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, 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 skill of the person.

Given the divergence of these two models, it is when we can discover the importance of Vernon's hierarchical model. Indeed, this approach supposes the conciliation between the two theories. And it is that Vernon picked 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.

Vernon's hierarchical model example

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

If we descend a step, we would realize that we are facing a skill corresponding to the verbal-numerical factor, since it is acquired in a theoretical way, through educational processes. If we continue to go down, already at the level of the lower general factors, we would place ourselves in the reading factor, a more specific skill but which in turn can be subdivided.

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

Bibliographic 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.