Thurstone proposed a theory of intelligence comprising multiple primary mental abilities. He identified 7 primary abilities initially - verbal comprehension, verbal fluency, numerical ability, perceptual speed, inductive reasoning, spatial visualization, and memory. He later added 2 more abilities - deductive reasoning and problem solving. According to Thurstone, intelligence is made up of these distinct but interrelated abilities rather than being a single general ability. His theory contributed to the measurement of attitudes and development of later theories of multiple intelligences. However, its limitation was discarding the concept of a common factor underlying all abilities.

2. SEMESTER - 2
Advanced Educational Psychology-
Learning and Development
UNIT- 4 Intelligence
Topic- Theories of Intelligence by
Thurstone
Presented By
Gopika krishnan
1 st yr MEd
MG University

3. What is Intelligence?

4. Think on Your Own…
How do YOU define Intelligence ?

5. Is it the ability to use reason and logic?
Is it the ability to write and speak clearly?
Is it limited to one’s performance in school?
Is it behavior in social situations?
How about knowing when you’re wrong?
There are many psychological theories about
intelligence that we will examine in this
module

6. What is Intelligence?
• The mental abilities that enable one to adapt to,
shape, or select one’s environment
• The ability to judge, comprehend, and reason
• The ability to understand and deal with people,
objects, and symbols
• The ability to act purposefully, think rationally,
and deal effectively with the environment

7. Thurston ‘s group factor theory of
intelligence
The theory also known as
Theory of primary mental abilities /
mulitiple factor theory of intelligence /
Factor analysis thoery of intelligence

8. Louis Leon Thurstone
Born 29 May 1887
Chicago, Illinois
Died 30 September 1955 (aged 68)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Nationality American
Alma mater University of Chicago
Cornell University
Known for Multiple factor analysis
Intelligence testing
Law of comparative judgment
Spouse(s) Thelma Thurstone
Scientific career
Fields Psychometrics
Institutions L. L. Thurstone Psychometric
Laboratory

9. Louis Thurston came out with the group factor
theory (1937) saying that Intelligence is a cluster
of abilities
These mental operations then constitute a group
Each of them has its own primary factor
Each of these primary factors is said to be
relatively independent of others
He pointed out that there were Seven Primary
Mental Abilities and later on added two more.
THURSTON’S GROUP FACTOR THEORY

10. According to him , intelligence is neither the
projection of general abilities nor of specific
factor .
He talked about the primary mental abilities
in mental activities.
On the basis of factor analysis , he found that
intelligence is comprised of 7 primary mental
abilities. And later he added 2 more. Each of
them independent of others

12. Seven Primary Mental Abilities
1. Verbal comprehension Factor
2. Verbal fluency Factor
3. Numerical Factor
4. Perceptual speed Factor
5. Inductive reasoning Factor
6. Spatial visualization Factor
7. Memory Factor
1. Deductive Reasoning (P)
2. Problem solving ability factor (PS

13. Verbal comprehension Factor
•Concerns comprehension of verbal relations, words and
ideas.
•The ability of grasping words , ideas,concepts and ideas
•This factor involves a person’s understand verbal material
•It is measured by tests such as vocabulary and reading
comprehension.

14. Verbal fluency Factor
• This ability is involved in rapidly producing
words, sentences, and other verbal material
• It is measured by tests such as one that
requires the examinee to produce as many
words as possible beginning with a particular
letter in a short amount of time.

15. Numerical Factor
This ability is involved in rapid arithmetic
computation and in solving simple arithmetic
problems
Ability to do numerical calculations,
rapidly and accurately

16. Perceptual speed Factor
Speed in perceiving details of object using all
five senses

17. This ability is involved in proofreading and in rapid
recognition of letters and numbers
It is measured by tests such as those requiring the
crossing out of As in a long string of letters or in
tests requiring recognition of which of several
pictures at the right is identical to the picture at the
left.

18. Inductive reasoning Factor
This ability requires generalization—reasoning
from the specific to the general
It is measured by tests, such as letter series, number
series, and word classifications, in which the
examinee must indicate which of several words does
not belong with the others

20. Spatial visualization Factor
This ability is involved in visualizing shapes,
rotations of objects

22. Memory Factor
•Involving the ability to memorizequickly
•It means the ability to recall and associate
previously learned items effectively or
memorize quickly

24. Deductive Reasoning
Ability to use the generalized results correctly
Example
All students eat biriyani .
Ammu is a student at abc college.
Therefore, ammu eat biriyani.

25. Problem solving ability factor
(PS)
-Ability to solve problem independently.

26. EDUCATIONALSIGNIFICANCE
AND IMPLICATIONS
Contributed greatly to the measurement of attitudes.
‘Thurston scale’ developed in 1928was the first formal
techniques for measuring of attitudes
Thurston’s theory of intelligence was a major influence
on later theories of multiple intelligences, such as
those of Guilford, Gardner, and Sternberg.

27. Limitation
The weakest aspect of the group factor
theory was that it discarded the conceptof
the common factor.