1

Assessment of Intelligence

Roll no.- 211323

Department of Psychology, Gargi College

BA (H) Applied Psychology

 2

Abstract

The ability to derive information, learn from experience, adapt to the environment,

understand, and correctly utilize thought and reason is known as Intelligence. Though there are

many definitions of intelligence; Spearman (1904, 1923): a general ability that involves mainly

the eduction of relations and correlates (Gregory, 2015). The study conducted aims to test the

abstract reasoning aspect of fluid intelligence using RSPM. Raven’s Standard Progressive

Matrices consists of 60 problems whose difficulty level increases problem by problem, for each

problem multiple choices of solutions were given and one had to be picked. The administration

of the test was done on a 19- year old female participant.. The participant did very well on the

test and gave 59 correct answers. Accordingly, she displayed a high IQ. It can be concluded that

RSPM is an effective way of measuring the fluid intelligence of an individual.

Keywords- RSPM, fluid intelligence, Psychological test, Spearman and IQ.

 3

Intelligence

Intelligence has been given many real definitions by prominent researchers, which are-

Spearman (1904, 1923): a general ability that involves mainly the eduction of relations

and correlates.

Binet and Simon (1905): the ability to judge well, to understand well, to reason well.

Terman (1916): the capacity to form concepts and to grasp their significance.

Pintner (1921): the ability of the individual to adapt adequately to relatively new

situations in life.

Thorndike (1921): the power of good responses from the point of view of truth or fact.

Thurstone (1921): the capacity to inhibit instinctive adjustments, flexibly imagine different

responses, and realize modified instinctive adjustments into overt behavior.

Wechsler (1939): The aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully,

to think rationally, and to deal effectively with the environment.

Humphreys (1971): the entire repertoire of acquired skills, knowledge, learning sets, and

generalization tendencies considered intellectual in nature that are available at any one period

of time.

Piaget (1972): a generic term to indicate the superior forms of organization or

equilibrium of cognitive structuring used for adaptation to the physical and social environment.

Sternberg (1985a, 1986): the mental capacity to automatize information processing and

to emit contextually appropriate behavior in response to novelty; intelligence also includes

metacomponents, performance components, and knowledge-acquisition components.

Eysenck (1986): error-free transmission of information through the cortex.

Gardner (1986): the ability or skill to solve problems or to fashion products that are

valued within one or more cultural settings.

 4

Ceci (1994): multiple innate abilities that serve as a range of possibilities; these abilities

develop (or fail to develop, or develop and later atrophy) depending upon motivation and

exposure to relevant educational experiences.

Sattler (2001): intelligent behavior reflects the survival skills of the species, beyond those

associated with basic physiological processes (Gregory, 2015).

History of intelligence Testing

The earliest scientists to consider evaluating intellect were Paul Broca (1824-1880) and

Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911). They believed that by measuring the size of the human skull,

they could measure intellect. They thought that the greater the skull, the more intelligent the

individual. Around the same time, scientist Wilhelm Wundt (1932-1920) used introspection - the

human ability to reflect on their own thoughts - as the measure of intelligence. The first modern

intelligence test in IQ history was developed in 1904, by Alfred Binet (1857-1911) and Theodore

Simon (1873-1961). The French Ministry of Education asked these researchers to develop a test

that would allow for distinguishing mentally retarded children from normally intelligent, but lazy

children. The result was the Simon-Binet IQ test. This IQ test consists of several components

such as logical reasoning, finding rhyming words and naming objects. The score for the IQ test

in combination with a child's age, provides information on the intellectual development of the

child: is the child ahead of or lagging other children? The IQ was calculated as (mental

age/chronological age) X 100. The test came to be a huge success, both in Europe and America

(NCERT).
 5

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis is a statistical procedure for defining the interrelationships among several

variables that have been observed. Factor analysis is used to quantify factors that cannot be

directly measured, to summarize huge volumes of data, and to construct and test ideas. Broadly

speaking, there are two forms of factor analysis: confirmatory and exploratory. In confirmatory

factor analysis, the purpose is to confirm that test scores and variables fit a certain pattern

predicted by a theory. For example, if the theory underlying a certain intelligence test prescribed

that the subtests belong to three factors (e.g., verbal, performance, and attention factors), then a

confirmatory factor analysis could be undertaken to evaluate the accuracy of this prediction.

Confirmatory factor analysis is essential to the validation of many ability tests. The central

purpose of Exploratory factor analysis is to summarize the interrelationships among a large

number of variables in a concise and accurate manner as an aid in conceptualization (Gorsuch,

1983). For instance, factor analysis may help a researcher discover that a battery of 20 tests

represents only four underlying variables, called factors. The smaller set of derived factors can

be used to represent the essential constructs that underlie the complete group of variables

Spearman’s 2 factor theory

Based on extensive study of the patterns of correlations between various tests of

intellectual and sensory ability, Charles Spearman proposed that intelligence consisted of two

kinds of factors: a single general factor g and numerous specific factors s1, s2, s3, and so on

(Gregory, 2015). G-Factor: It includes mental operations which are primary and common to all

performances. S-Factor: It includes specific abilities which allow individuals to excel in their

respective domains (NCERT).

 6

Diagram of the two factor theory

Spearman (1923) believed that individual differences in g were most directly reflected in the

ability to use three principles of cognition: apprehension of experience, eduction of relations, and

eduction of correlations. Incidentally, the little used term eduction refers to the process of

figuring things out. These three principles can be explained by examining how we solve

analogies of the form A:B::C:? that is, A is to B as C is to? A simple example might be

HAMMER:NAIL::SCREWDRIVER:? To solve this analogy, we must first perceive and

understand each term based on past experience; that is, we must have apprehension of

experience. If we have no idea what a hammer, nail, and screwdriver are, there is little chance we

can complete the analogy correctly. Next, we must infer the relation between the first two
 7

analogy terms, in this case, HAMMER and NAIL. Using a somewhat stilted phrase, Spearman

referred to the ability to infer the relation between two concepts as eduction of relations. The

final step, eduction of correlates, refers to the ability to apply the inferred principle to the new

domain, in this case, applying the rule inferred to produce the correct response, namely,

SCREWDRIVER:SCREW (Gregory, 2015).

Different types Progressive Matrices

Raven's matrices is a nonverbal ability test for abstract reasoning. The test is progressive

in the sense that the questions become more difficult as the test progresses. The goal is to find the

missing element in a pattern, which is usually displayed as a matrix, thus the name Raven's

matrices.

Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices

This is the original test published in 1938. All questions were black patterns on a

white background. There were 60 questions arranged over five sets, within each set the items

were presented in increasing (progressive) difficulty.

Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices

These matrices were designed for people with general lower ability because of

age (old, young) of mentally impaired. It contains the two first sets from the Standard Matrices

with an additional set of 12 items inserted in between the two. Questions however were primarily

presented on a colored background to make them visually stimulating.

Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices

 8

The advanced form of the matrice contains more items (48), presented as one set

of 12 (set I), and another of 36 (set II). Items are presented in black on a white background

similar to the standard version, and also becomes increasingly difficult throughout the test. These

items are suitable for adults and adolescents of above-average intelligence.

Applications of RSPM

The test was developed for research purposes initially. But the test with time became very

popular and widespread due to the independence of language and reading and writing skills, and

the simplicity of their use and interpretation. With this practical application of the test

accelerated. For example, from 1942 onwards, all applicants to the British armed services took a

twenty-minute version of the RSPM, and future officers took a specially customised version as

part of British War Office Selection Boards. The systematic distribution of what became the

Standard Progressive Matrices to all recruits (conscripts) into several military services across the

world (including the Soviet Union) lasted at least until the twenty-first century. A 2007 study

provided evidence that individuals with Asperger syndrome, a high-functioning autism spectrum

disorder, score higher than other individuals on Raven's tests. Intertel and the International

Society for Philosophical Enquiry (ISPE), as well as the International High IQ Society, recognise

the RSPM as a qualification for entrance. The Advanced Progressive Matrices were once

accepted as one of the Triple Nine Society's entry examinations.

To assess the abstract reasoning aspect of fluid intelligence (Catell, 1961) using Raven’s

Standard Progressive Matrices.

Review Of Literature
 9

A study done by Madelon R. Goetzinger, a teacher of preschool for the Deaf General Hospital

and Rollie R. Houchins, a PHD associate professor of Audiology,University of Kansas, Kansas

city. The purpose of the study was to compare young deaf and hearing subjects on the 1947

Colored Raven's Progressive Matrices. 20 deaf and 20 hearing subjects of age 6-8 years of both

genders were chosen for the same. The result was that the two groups came out to be of normal

range of intellectual ability and that the deaf and hearing do not differ on the 1947 Raven’s Test

at the age levels under study. The findings of this study provide evidence for the hypothesis that

elementary deaf children perform as well as their counterparts on the 1947 Raven’s colored Test.

This study was based on deaf and hearing elementary children and also used colored RSPM test.

A study done by John EustisWilliams(2006) and David M.McCord(2006) where they examined

the equivalence of the computer administered version of the Raven Standard Progressive

Matrices (RSPM) with the standard paper-and-pencil administered version of the RSPM. In

addition, the effects of state and trait anxiety as well as computer anxiety were investigated. Fifty

undergraduate volunteers were administered the RSPM twice under one of four conditions:

computer–computer, standard–standard, computer–standard, or standard–computer. No

significant differences were found between mean scores and standard deviations across

administrations or formats. Tentative support for the equivalence of the computerized version of

the RSPM was found. Analyses revealed no significant differences in anxiety across formats and

no significant correlations between anxiety and RSPM performance. John Eustis Williams,

David M. McCord, Equivalence of standard and computerized versions of the Raven Progressive

Matrices Test, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 22, Issue 5, 2006. In this study extra
 10

variables were chosen unlike our study, like anxiety. Although the study helps conclude our

study of the RSPM test.

A study done by Shaista Ismat(2015) of Federal Urdu University of Arts Science And

Technology, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Campus, Karachi, Pakistan and Junaid Sagir Sidiqui(2015)

University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan which aimed to examine statistically the non verbal

abilities of the individuals using Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) test items. RSPM

is a non verbal culture fair test that identifies non verbal reasoning abilities used in educational

settings. RSPM was administered collectively (Group-class) for a representative sample of 268

adolescents/Boys and Girls. The sample is drawn through Gallup surveys from Karachi

University and Federal Urdu University, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Karachi. The results of descriptive

Statistics and Principal Components Analysis, 75% student having very sound intellectual

capacity, as well also having visual perception, and continuation perception which are suitable

designing- interior graphics. Ismat, S., & Sidiqui, J. S. (2015). A study of intelligence measure

using Raven Standard Progressive Matrices Test items by principal components analysis.

FUUAST Journal of Biology, 5(1), 169-173.

Method

A test is a standardized procedure for sampling behavior and describing it with categories or

scores. In addition, most tests have norms or standards by which the results can be used to

predict other, more important behaviors (Gregory, 2015). A Psychological test is a standardized
 11

measure of a sample of a person's. behavior that is used to measure the individual differences

that exist among people.

For the test conducted, an Eighteen year old Female participant named Aditi Pathak was chosen.

The participant does not belong to the psychology background and is pursuing BBE from Gargi

College, DU. The administration was done on 12th May, 2022 .

Sampling technique used is Purposive Sampling.

Measures

The Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) is a 60-item test for measuring

abstract reasoning, considered a nonverbal estimate of fluid intelligence, and often included in

clinical assessment batteries and research on patients with cognitive deficits.

The Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) and definition of the test was given by John

C. Raven in 1936 (Gregory, 2015).

Validity

The Standard Progressive Matrices, Sets A, B, C, D, and E are a test of a person's ability to

apprehend meaningless figures presented for his observation, see the relationships between them,

conceive the nature of the figure completing each system of relations presented, and develop a

systematic method of reasoning. J. C. Raven developed the test in 1960. The test consisted of

sixty items divided into five sets of twelve, the problems progressively increased in the difficulty

for the assessment of a person’s intellectual capacity. It was originally given by John C. Raven in

1936 which proved to be a good reliable measure with a test retest reliability ranging from 0.83

to 0.93 (Gregory, 2015).

Reliability

It can be used on the population of age 6 to 65 years.

 12

Norms

A study done by Ahmed M abdel-Khalek in 2005 has a test-retest reliability

ranging between 0.69 and 0.85 and psychological validity ranging from 0.73 to 0.89

indicating good validity (Abdel-Khalek, Ahmed,2005).

Procedure

The administration was started by self introduction of the experimenter. Next, the

participant was asked very politely to introduce herself. Further the participant was made

comfortable and was asked how she is feeling, if she had something to eat and how her day was

and what are her hobbies. The participant then was debriefed and was asked for consent for the

experiment to begin and if she is absolutely fine doing the experiment. Lastly the participant was

assured that everything will remain confidential and she can withdraw anytime if she feels

uncomfortable.

Instructions were followed which is given in the RSPM manual

The participant selected should be of the age group 18-23 years old,and should not have any

background in psychology. For conducting the test the room should be well lit and ventilated ,

the participant should not feel uncomfortable, the seating arrangement should be comfortable.

Before starting the test the participant should be informed about all the instructions and should

be made clear to the participant, along with it full consent of the participant should be taken. In

taking the test there should be no time limit.

 13

For the conduction of the test, pen, paper, RSPM test, answer sheet, stopwatch and screen in

between the participant and the examiner was used.

The participant in the rapport formation confessed that she is feeling excited and nervous both. In

the beginning of the administration was energetic and excited about the experiment and felt

comfortable after rapport formation. The Participant listened to the instructions carefully and was

very clear about them. In the beginning of the test; Set A- the participant was taking the test very

diligently and fastly but with full concentration and attention, in fact she took the whole test very

seriously and diligently. The problems followed by, the participant seemed to find them a little

difficult but the seriousness could be seen throughout. In the first few sets the participant didn't

seem tense enough, she was relatively calm and interested. In the last few sets participant seemed

a bit tired. She took a water break, let out a sigh and got back to the test. One very interesting

thing which I noticed was that the participant was solving problems as if they were math

problems. She was doodling on the rough page and calculating the right answers in the air with

deep critical thinking and still was relatively energetic. In between the participant seemed a little

bored. The participant was in no hurry and took a good amount of time completing the test. By

the end of the test the participant still seemed energetic and not drained, there was no change of

behavior seen, the participant was just like she was in the beginning of the test. Moreover the

participant seemed happy doing the test.

After the administration, the participant was handed over the introspection report and was asked

to fill it.

Results
 14

Table 1.1

The following table describes the obtained scores of all the sets, out of the expected

scores and their discrepancy along with the total score obtained by the participant in the test.

Sets Obtained Expected Discrepancy Total Score

Scores Scores

Set A 12 12 0

Set B 11 12 1

Set C 12 12 0 59

Set D 12 12 0

Set E 12 12 0

Table 1.2

The following table shows the interpretation of the participant’s Intellect interpreted

through the total score and the percentile and grade given in the manual. The participant is

Intellectually Superior.

Total Percentile Grade Interpretation

 15

59 95th percentile I Intellectually

Superior

Discussion

The aim of this study is to assess the abstract reasoning aspect of fluid intelligence

(Catell, 1961) using Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices. Psychologist Robert Sternberg

defined intelligence as "mental activity directed toward purposive adaptation to, selection, and

shaping of real-world environments relevant to one's life." Spearman (1904, 1923): a general

ability that involves mainly the eduction of relations and correlates. One female participant was

chosen of the age 18 years old and was instructed and briefed about the test.Now if we look at

the result table, The participant solved 59 problems correctly out of 60 problems in the test. In

Set A the participant solved all the problems correctly and scored 12/12. In Set B she made one

mistake in the 6th question and scored 11/12. In Set C she again scored 12/12. In Set D and Set E

where the participant spent most of her time solving the problems , she again scored 12/12 in

both of them(table 1.1). The Participant scored 59/60 in total. The interpretation of this score is

that the participant is highly intellectual and falls in the “ Intellectually Superior” category

according to the table and interpretation of the RSPM manual (table 1.2). The participant took a

total time of 37minutes and 48 seconds. Through this we interpret that the participant is good at

abstract reasoning, mathematical and calculation problems, reasoning, problem solving and has a

critical view while analyzing something. Something which came to my observation and I found

it interesting was that while the participant was doing the test it was observed that she is thinking
 16

and analyzing all the possibilities of the pattern being correct. In the later problems especially in

Set D and Set E it was observed that the participant was doodling as if calculating the correct

answer when actually the test is about abstract reasoning and patterns and not about numbers.

This is actually related to eduction; she was figuring the problems as if calculating them and

putting a lot of effort in doing so , this means she was finding out the relationship in the problem

and cause. Spearman referred to the ability to infer the relation between two concepts as eduction

of relations. The final step, eduction of correlates, refers to the ability to apply the inferred

principle to the new domain, in this case, applying the rule inferred to produce the correct

response (Gregory, 2015). The participant has a good ability of processing and figuring out

things and problems in life. Eductive ability is the ability to forge new insights, the ability to

discern meaning in. confusion, the ability to perceive, and the ability to identify relationships.

The participant must have some sort of experience that she was able to score this good. The

participant must have also applied some sort of strategy as well like finding out the relation of

one problem or one aspect of the problem and appling that strategy in the next one. In the

introspective report as well the participant has mentioned using strategies. She mentioned “ I

compared both horizontally and vertically, even diagonally, counted lines, added, subtracted,

everything, there was no single strategy”. This means that only she used one strategy in the next

one and the strategies kept on increasing as the intensity of the problems increased and she

applied all the strategies together. All in all the high scores mean that the participant is good at

performing such questions and problems.

Conclusion

After analyzing all the scores it has been found that the participant has scored 59/60 which

means that participant lies in the 95th Percentile having Grade I and being considered as
 17

Intellectually Superior. This means that the participant is going to perform better than the rest of

95% of the population in the fluid intelligence aspect of abstract reasoning.

References

Gregory, R. J. (2014). Psychological Testing (7th ed.) . Pearson Education.

A study of intelligence measure using Raven Standard Progressive Matrices Test items by

principal components analysis. FUUAST Journal of Biology, 5(1), 169-173.

NCERT

John Eustis Williams, David M. McCord, Equivalence of standard and computerized versions of

the Raven Progressive Matrices Test, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 22, Issue 5, 2006.

Abdel-Khalek, Ahmed. (2005). Reliability and Factorial Validity of the Standard Progressive

Matrices among Kuwaiti Children Ages 8 to 15 Years. Perceptual and motor skills. 101. 409-12.

10.2466/PMS.101.6.409-412.
 18

Appendix
19
20
21