Raymond Cattell's theory of intelligence

Raymond B. Cattell it 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: the fluid and crystallized intelligence.

• Related article: "Fluid Intelligence and Crystallized Intelligence: what are they?"

Cattell's theory of intelligence

Raymond Bernard Cattell (1905-1998) was an English psychologist who rose to fame because of his psychometric research on the human mindof him, who focused particularly on personality and intelligence. Starting from factor analysis, in which he was a pioneer, he developed two very influential theories about these psychological constructs.

Other topics that interested Cattell include motivation, emotion, learning, creativity, academic and professional 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 it is very remarkable the influence of statistician Charles Spearman, who used factor analysis even before Cattell. In particular, Cattell's theory of intelligence is derived from Spearman's bifactorial theory, which argued that there is a general cognitive factor (g) that explains lower-level skills.

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 that we will describe in this article It is often called the "Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory".

• You may be interested: "Theories of human intelligence"

First-order cognitive skills

Through factor analysis Cattell identified a series of 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 next section.

1. Fluent reasoning

This ability consists of the flexible and deliberate use of mental operationsto adapt to new situations and solve problems in which you have 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. Understanding-Knowledge

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

3. Quantitative knowledge

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

4. Ability to read and write

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

5. Short term memory

For Cattell, short-term memory is the ability to retain and handle the information obtained in the last minute, approximately; therefore, in current terms it would be more appropriate to think about working memory when conceptualizing this factor.

• Related article: "Types of memory: how does the human brain store memories?"

6. Long-term storage and recovery

This aptitude is associated with long-term memory and also with operational, since it encompasses 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, ease of naming, and creativity.

• Related article: "Working memory (operational): components and function"

7. Visual processing

Cattell defined visual processing as the ability to generate, store, retrieve and modify images. This factor includes others of a lower order such as visual memory, visualization, detection of visual patterns, 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 ability. Subfactors that make up auditory processing include frequency and tone discrimination, resistance to sound distortion, and memory for sound patterns.

9. Processing speed

This factor is defined as the ability to carry out easy or overlearned cognitive tasks in an efficient way. It is associated with different types of material; for example, both the speed of calculation and the speed of reading and writing depend on this ability, 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 respond quickly or make decisions in the face of certain stimuli. It weighs the time of choice between alternatives, the speed of semantic processing and the speed of mental comparison, among other lower factors.

Fluid and crystallized intelligence

Cattell attached great importance to two of the primary cognitive skills: Comprehension-Knowledge and Fluent Reasoning. He considered that these two factors, which he called respectively "crystallized intelligence" and "fluid", explained the rest to a great 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, is influenced by physical condition, decreases in old age and is involved in solving new problems. This type of intelligence encompasses skills such as spatial reasoning, memory, and processing speed.

By cons, crystallized intelligence is derived from learning; consequently, it is more influenced by culture and socialization than fluid, and is not as affected by age. Verbal skills depend primarily on crystallized intelligence, and executive functions are also influenced by it.

Cattell's analyzes also identified a general underlying factor both fluid and crystallized intelligence: historical fluid intelligence, which is basically equivalent to factor "g" described by Spearman and many later authors. This core cognitive factor has a biological character and is mainly related to fluid intelligence.

Therefore, and despite the fact that 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 skills, many of which also weigh on a primary factor related to learning (crystallized intelligence).