Intelligence has long been a frequent object of study within Psychology, especially with regard to basic and differential psychology. This concept refers to the capacity of the human being to adapt to the environment successfully and efficiently, being able to use the available cognitive resources in order to establish action plans, capture the relationships between different stimuli, reasoning and logic, reason and manage behavior.
There are a large number of theories and conceptualizations regarding what intelligence is or how it is structured, a variety in which it has gone from being a single and general capacity to a set of relatively independent capacities. One of these conceptualizations is that of hierarchical theories of intelligence
Hierarchical theories of intelligence
Those that are based on the conception that intelligence is made up of a set of dependent skills each other, which establish a hierarchy among themselves in which an order is established according to which each factor encompasses several subfactors.
Is about a type of theory based on a factor model and in which there are capacities that dominate and allow the existence of others. For example, starting from one of the models (specifically Vernon’s model) we can consider that the ability to write comes from linguistic ability, which in turn is part of and depends on verbal ability, which together with motor abilities is part of of general intelligence.
In this way we would have very specific skills that would be in charge of specific behaviors or governing specific parts of them, and in turn these skills would depend on a cognitive ability or higher order factor which encompasses a whole set of these skills. In turn, this and other abilities of the same sublevel would depend on another that influences all of them, and so on.
Main hierarchical models
exist different models derived from hierarchical theories of intelligence, which have established different ways of interpreting the hierarchical ordering between the factors or even the type of factors in question. The most well-known and relevant hierarchical theories are presented below.
1. Burt’s model: Hierarchical model of mental levels
The model developed by Cyrill Burt focuses on the proposal of the existence of a structure made up of four primary factors and a general intelligence that subsumes them this structure is organized into five levels that range from the capture of stimuli to their processing and linking with other cognitive elements.
Specifically, level one is that of sensation, which includes the different sensory and motor capacities that we have. This is the most basic and simple level. Subsequently, at level two or perception, Burt incorporates the set of processes that allow the passage of the captured information to cognition as well as the ability to coordinate movement.
level three encompasses association capacities, such as recognition, memory or habit to later find at level four or relationship the different processes that allow the different mental processes to be coordinated and managed.
Finally, at the fifth level is general intelligence, which allows, influences and encompasses the previous levels.
2. Vernon hierarchical factor model
One of the best-known hierarchical models is that of PE Vernon, who established the existence of a general intelligence from which emerged educational-verbal and motor-spatial factors from which in turn emerged skills such as fluency, numerical, linguistic, creative capacity, mechanical, spatial, psychomotor or induction capacity.
However, the most important thing about this model is the fact that Vernon would indicate the existence of three types of intelligence depending on the level of development of biological potential in reality. He would name intelligence A as biological potential of the person in regards to its ability to develop and adapt to the environment, as intelligence B the level of ability demonstrated behaviorally in reality and as intelligence C that extractable as objective proof of intelligence B extracted in intelligence tests.
3. Gustafsson HILI model
The model developed by Gustafsson is called the HILI model. This model includes and integrates aspects of Vernon and Cattell and is based on a three-level structure in which primary skills such as rational ability, verbal fluency or memory are found at the simplest or lowest level, while fluid intelligence factors are found at the intermediate level. , crystallized, visual, recovery capacity and cognitive speed and finally a higher level in which general intelligence is found.
4. Guttman’s Radex Model
Another hierarchical theory of intelligence is that of Louis Guttman, who proposed a model in which the factors obtained in different psychometric tests were ordered and organized into sections according to similarity in complexity and content.
Establishes a hierarchy in the form of concentric circles with three main factors that are the visual spatial ability, verbal ability and quantitative-numerical ability From there, it establishes the level of closeness of the different tests with the G factor of intelligence, the central and hierarchically highest point.
5. Carroll’s strata model
This model divides cognitive abilities into three interlinked strata, the first being the most specific and the third being the most general.
In the first of the strata, Carroll establishes concrete skills such as induction, visual memory, musical discrimination, writing or perceptual speed This is a total of twenty specific factors necessary to carry out various actions both mentally and behaviorally.
The second strata includes eight more general and broad factors in which those of the previous stratum are included. They include fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, memory and learning, visual perception, auditory perception, retrieval capacity, cognitive speed and processing speed.
Finally, the third stratum refers to general intelligence, from which all the previous processes and abilities are derived.
And a mixed model: The Cattell and Horn model
Cattell’s model, in which he divided intelligence into fluid and crystallized intelligence, is widely known worldwide. However This model was later expanded with the collaboration of John Horn resulting in said collaboration in one of the hierarchical models or theories of intelligence.
In this model three levels can be observed. In the first-order factors we find the primary aptitudes (taken from Thurstone and Guilford), which are encompassed by the second-order factors.
Finally, the third order factors are a historical fluid intelligence (from which secondary factors arise such as fluid intelligence as an element that allows the creation of links between elements through induction or deduction, visual intelligence, recovery capacity and cognitive speed). In addition to this, along with historical fluid intelligence there is the common learning factor, which implies crystallized intelligence.
