General intelligence factor facts for kids

An illustration of Spearman's two-factor intelligence theory. Each small oval is a hypothetical mental test. The blue areas show the variance attributed to s, and the purple areas the variance attributed to g

The general intelligence factor, often called g, is a big idea in psychology. It helps us understand how different intelligence tests are connected. Think of it as a common skill that helps you do well on many different kinds of mental tasks.

Understanding General Intelligence (g)

The idea of g came from Charles Spearman. He was a statistician and psychologist a long time ago. Spearman noticed something interesting about school children's grades. Kids who were good at one school subject, like reading, were often good at other subjects too, like math.

He thought that this connection meant there was one main factor helping them do well in all subjects. He called this factor g, which stands for "general" intelligence.

How Spearman's Theory Works

Spearman created a model to explain how intelligence works. He said that your performance on any mental task depends on two things:

• Specific skills (s): These are the unique abilities you have for one particular task. For example, being good at remembering names is a specific skill.
• General intelligence (g): This is the overall factor that helps you with all kinds of thinking tasks. It's like a general mental energy that you use for everything from solving puzzles to understanding new ideas.

So, if you take an intelligence test, your score isn't just about your specific skills for that test. It's also greatly influenced by your general intelligence, or g.

Why 'g' is Still Important

For over 120 years, scientists have studied intelligence. The idea of g is still very important in understanding how our minds work. It helps explain why people who do well on one type of mental challenge often do well on others.

Of course, other ideas about intelligence have also been suggested. There are some debates about how important g really is compared to other skills. But many experts still see g as a key part of human intelligence.

Images for kids

• 

  An illustration of John B. Carroll's three stratum theory. This model shows different levels of mental abilities. It includes fluid intelligence (Gf), crystallized intelligence (Gc), and other broad skills. Carroll saw these broad abilities as different "flavors" of g.

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  An illustration of the Jensen box. This is a special tool used to measure how quickly someone reacts to things.

See also

In Spanish: Factor g de inteligencia para niños