The triarchic theory of intelligence

 
 
POSTED: December 18, 2020
 
 
 
 
 

Reading an MA thesis, in order to comment on it later today I find myself drawn to his comments on the triarchic theory of intelligence, dreamed up by Robert Sternberg. I say dreamed up because some “scientific” members of the psychology community have accused him of working qualitatively, without much empirical data. As though, self-evidently, this disqualified him from serious consideration.

Out you go, Peirce, and don’t come back until you have some proper survey data!

The triarchic theory of intelligence originated as an alternative to the concept of general intelligence factor, or g.

The theory, proposed by psychologist Robert J. Sternberg, contends that there are three types of intelligence: practical (the ability to get along in different contexts), creative (the ability to come up with new ideas), and analytical (the ability to evaluate information and solve problems).

The theory is comprised of three subtheories: contextual, experiential, and componential. Each subtheory corresponds to one of the three proposed types of intelligence.

This quotation comes not from the thesis, but from an online article I consulted during my reading. You can find the article here.