-
Francis Galton
Galton was an explorer and anthropologist known for his studies in eugenics and human intelligence. A cousin of Charles Darwin, he researched the implications of Darwin’s theory of evolution, focusing on human intelligence. He believed that intelligence was a general ability that depended on someone’s environment. -
Alfred Binet
Binet believed that attention was a factor in intelligence. He believed that even people with equal intelligence had their differences that needed to be considered. He later developed an intelligence test to measure the intelligence of children with Theodore Simon. -
Charles Spearman
Spearman believed everyone had a general intelligence. This meant that there would be a correlation between different test scores. He believed that there was also a factor that was specifically for that test known as specific intelligence. This was all known as the specific factor theory. -
William Stern
He believed each person needed to be viewed as an individual and that although two people may reach a conclusion using two different methods, they could prove equally successful. He introduced the Intelligence Quotient which was the mental age of a subject divided by their chronological age. -
Lewis Terman
Terman translated the intelligence test made by Binet into English to use in the U.S and called it the Standford-Binet test. He then made it suitable for adults. He believed that people with a high IQ didn’t necessarily mean they had a high IQ in adulthood. -
David Wechsler
Wechsler believed that intelligence had to do with much more than just the abilities that helped people in school and that abilities needed in everyday life need to be included in overall intelligence. He categorised these abilities into visual and performance. With his beliefs, he created the WAIS, WISC and WIPPSI scales of intelligence. -
Howard Gardner
Gardner believed that there’s 8 different types of intelligences; linguistic, logical mathematical, visual spatial, intrapersonal, interpersonal, musical, body kinaesthetic and naturalistic. He believed that each intelligence was independent of each other and that everyone possesses these intelligences but in different combinations. -
Robert Sternberg
Sternberg believed that intelligence was the ability to learn and use information. He created the triarchic theory of intelligence which has 3 aspects of intelligence; analytical, creative and practical skills. He believed that intelligence tests often ignored the creative and practical parts of intelligence.