A school counsellor in Pune is comparing two studies on Class 6 students. In the first, Dr Meera gives each child a set of tests and reports one overall score for every child. In the second, Dr Arjun asks children to think aloud while solving puzzles. He notes how each child plans the work, which steps the child tries and how mistakes are corrected on the way, but he gives no score at all.
Dr Arjun's study is closest to which of the following?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Information-processing approach, which studies the cognitive functions underlying intelligent behaviour
Option (1) Psychometric approach, which expresses performance as a single index of cognitive abilities — Incorrect. The psychometric approach treats intelligence as an aggregate of abilities shown as one score. That fits Dr Meera's study.
Option (2) Wechsler's view, which understands intelligence by its value for adaptation to environment — Incorrect. Wechsler defined intelligence by how well a person adapts to the environment. It is a definition of intelligence.
Option (3) Information-processing approach, which studies the cognitive functions underlying intelligent behaviour — Correct. The information-processing approach looks at how an intelligent person acts: the steps used in reasoning and problem solving. Dr Arjun records each child's steps while solving puzzles, so his study follows this approach.
Option (4) Situationist view, which explains behaviour by the influence of external factors — Incorrect. Situationism says the setting a person is in shapes behaviour. Dr Arjun is not studying the effect of settings but the thinking of each child.
Note: Psychometric = how much ability (one score); information-processing = how the thinking is done.
NCERT (2026-27): “THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE … |