Intelligence in human beings can have different nuances. Some people develop a certain practicality when it comes to solving concrete situations and others have a great facility for understanding very complex abstract thoughts.
Today’s world is constantly changing due to discoveries that occur in different areas. In this sense, society requires people to develop certain types of intelligence in order to be able to address and resolve certain situations. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how human beings can achieve a greater understanding of the situations that occur in their environment, both social, work and family. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about What is Spearman’s two-factor theory and how is it applied?.
What is Spearman’s two-factor theory?
Spearman’s two-factor theory is a study model of human intelligence theorized from the discrimination of two factors: the G factor and the S factor. It should be noted that Spearman was an English psychologist who dedicated himself to observing the scores that children obtained in school exams. Given this, he determined that if a child acquired a good grade in one subject, he could also replicate the same in other subjects.
Based on these considerations, Spearman stated that it would be possible determine a person’s IQ. Even so, it is important to clarify that Spearman’s two-factor theory is not limited only to the study of children in the process of schooling, but can also be applied to work, social and family settings, among others. In this article you will find information about it.
What is the g factor of intelligence according to Spearman
As we mentioned previously, Charles Spearman introduced the G factor as one of the variables in his theory. This concept refers to a type of general intelligence that can be applied to any situation in life.
On the one hand, although the author emphasizes the observation of children in school learning stages, it can also be applied to other life situations, since the G factor appeals to generalizations. Furthermore, this concept refers to the fact that a type of intelligence that comes from genetic inheritance of each person in particular.
On the other hand, Spearman’s two-factor theory also introduces the S factorwhich includes specific factors in which intelligence can be developed, that is, specific skills and abilities that cannot be extrapolated to other situations. If you want to measure yours, don’t wait any longer to do this one.
Applications of Spearman’s two-factor theory in psychology
Spearman’s two-factor theory made valuable and very useful contributions in the field of psychology. In this sense, it must be understood that the intelligence is a study variable that presents different nuances according to each person.
In other words, it is impossible to present the concept of intelligence in a unilateral way that does not have any type of distinction, since the characteristics of each person have a clear impact in this variable. In the field of psychology, different psychometric tests have been designed that measure people’s intelligence based on certain parameters that determine the variable. In this article, we show you the different ones that exist.
Criticisms of Charles Spearman’s two-factor theory
Beyond the contributions that Spearman’s two-factor theory has raised, it must be taken into account that this conceptual model has aroused a series of criticisms of the approaches it proposes. In order to clarify it in greater detail, below, we will show you the main criticisms of Charles Spearman’s two-factor theory:
- Incidence of culture on the G factor: Spearman indicates the general intelligence factor is only raised from the genetic variables. However, the predominance of culture in a person’s life has a direct impact on the development of their abilities to resolve various situations that arise in the course of daily life.
- The variability of intelligence cannot be explained by the G factor: Although it is true that the G factor conceives that the same person can develop similar abilities in various areas, the way in which they develop their intelligence is still unfinished.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
Bibliography
- Bonastre Rovira, RM (2004). General intelligence (g), neural efficiency and nerve conduction velocity index: an empirical approach. Doctorate Program: Medical Psychology. Autonomous University of Barcelona, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine.
- Pérez, E., Medrano, LA (2013). Contemporary theories of intelligence. A critical review of the literature. Psiencia Latin American Journal of Psychological Science, 5 (2), 105-118.