Charles Spearman
creator of “g-factor”, or general intelligence, concept
Charles Spearman was an English psychologist who is best known for his research on human intelligence. He is particularly well-known for developing the concept of the “g factor” which refers to general intelligence or the common factor that underlies different cognitive abilities.
Spearman’s research was based on statistical analysis of cognitive tests, and he found that people who performed well on one cognitive test were likely to perform well on other tests as well. He argued that this was evidence for the existence of a general factor of intelligence or g-factor, which accounted for much of the variance in cognitive ability across individuals.
Spearman also developed a statistical technique called factor analysis, which enabled him to identify different factors that contribute to overall intelligence. He argued that there was a “specific factor” that contributed to performance on a particular cognitive test, as well as a general factor that contributed to performance across a range of cognitive tests.
In summary, Charles Spearman was an influential psychologist who developed the concept of the g-factor and contributed to our understanding of how intelligence is structured and measured.
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