3.2 Multifactor Theory of Intelligence

Multifactor Theory of Intelligence - Thorndike

Objective

After going through this session, you will be able to...

Describe Thorndike’s Multifactor Theory of Intelligence.

Introduction

E.L.Thorndike opposed Sternberg’s theory of general intelligence and propagated the multifactor theory or the atomistic theory of intelligence. According to his multifactor theory of intelligence, he proposed that individual’s intelligence is a combination of numerous separate elements or factors, each one being a minute element of one’s ability.

Thorndike has stated in his famous book on educational psychology that the mind is a host of highly particularized and independent faculties. Intelligence, according to him,is the sum total of various such smaller independent faculties and each faculty is related to some kind of cognitive functions and intelligence as we measure and describe, is a synthesis of all such smaller abilities.

Further he states that a mental act involves a number of these minute elements operating together. If any two tasks are correlated, the degree of correlation is due to the common elements involved in the two tasks.

As regards the inter-correlations between different factors of intelligence, Thorndike assumes that this correlation owes mainly to commonalities of abilities.

Scenario

A group of students are performing task (A) of presenting the given self study material on historical events during World War I. In this task students present the information in the form of a power point presentation which includes the description of all the events, visuals and the summary in the form of timeline using the dates of events. In this the students use their verbal ability to comprehend and present the information in the classroom, their visual skills to create the timeline of the events and memory skills to remember all the events.

In task (B), another group of students are presenting the data collected from the survey. In this task, students use the same method of presenting the data. In this task students use their mathematical ability to interpret and present the collected data from the survey. They use their verbal skills to present the data classroom and spatial skills to draw graphs and charts to interpret the data. They also use their inductive reasoning skills to draw conclusions from the interpreted data.

Performance of task A requires the verbal and visual abilities while task B involves verbal, visual, mathematical and inductive reasoning abilities. Now since, certain abilities like verbal and visual are commonly involved in both the tasks, possibilities of high correlations between the two exist. As the number of common abilities is increased, higher inter-correlations may be obtained.

Thorndike believed that in almost every intellectual task, some of the abilities are common and this causes the inter-correlations between different tasks. Thus, according to him, the intellect is constituted of separate factors – minute and independent.

Exercise

Select the correct option.

Thorndike’s multifactor theory gives emphasis on

	Intelligence is a general ability
	There are different types of intelligence
	Intelligence is a combination of numerous separate elements of factors, each one being a minute element of ability

Critical comments

Thorndike’s theory in fact is an imaginary theory because his views suffer from lack of uniformity. On the one hand he talks of various abilities, while on the other he also makes a reference to the ‘g’ factor.

Discussion Forum

Any intellectual activity or mental task may involve numerous specific factors each being minute and independent of each other. Justify your answer with examples.

Visit the Discussion Forum created for discussion on the above topic. Post your reply in the forum.

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