Mr Verma, a teacher in a Lucknow school, expects a pupil who tops in arithmetic to also top in essay writing, map work and science projects. When a girl who struggles with sums wins the school's debate prize, he calls it luck. He does not accept that a pupil may have a special strength in one area alone. At the end of the term he gives every pupil a total score on his test and sorts the class into more able and less able pupils.
Mr Verma's view of his pupils' abilities comes closest to which theory of intelligence?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Uni or one factor theory
Option (1) Two-factor theory — Incorrect. Spearman's two-factor theory has a g-factor common to all performances plus s-factors, specific abilities that let people excel in their own domains. Mr Verma rejects special strengths in one area, so he leaves out the s-factor.
Option (2) Theory of primary mental abilities — Incorrect. Thurstone's theory has seven primary abilities, each relatively independent of the others, such as verbal comprehension and numerical abilities. On this view a pupil could be weak in sums yet strong in verbal work, which Mr Verma refuses to accept.
Option (3) Hierarchical model of intelligence — Incorrect. Jensen's hierarchical model has abilities at two levels: Level I, associative learning such as rote memory, and Level II, cognitive competence. Mr Verma does not separate levels; he sees one set of abilities used everywhere.
Option (4) Uni or one factor theory — Correct. Binet saw intelligence as one similar set of abilities used for solving any or every problem; this is the uni or one factor theory. Expecting the arithmetic topper to top everything, and sorting pupils by one total score into more and less able, fits it.
Note: Spearman's g is also general, but he added specific s-factors; Binet's one factor theory has no specific abilities.
NCERT (2026-27): “THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE … “In 1927, Charles Spearman proposed a two-factor theory of intelligence employing a statistical method called factor analysis. He showed that intelligence consisted of a general factor (g-factor) and some specific factors (s-factors). The g-factor includes mental operations which are primary and common to all performances. In addition to the g-factor, he said that there are also many specific abilities. These are contained in what he called the s-factor. Excellent singers, architects, scientists, and athletes may be high on g-factor, but in addition to this, they have specific abilities which allow them to excel in their respective domains. …” |