Thurstone's primary mental skills

Thurstone's primary mental skills was a theory proposed by Louis Leon Thurstone, as a multifactorial alternative model of cognitive abilities, which could be measured with the so -called primary mental attitudes test.

This model is within the models cataloged as unitary and multifactorial intelligence, which are based on the factorial analysis.

Thurstone's primary mental skills: the origins

In principle, Alfred Binet was interested in understanding intellectual development, perceptual and thought capacities. This obtained a lot of notoriety, above all, its success was based on its interest in the evaluation of intellectual deficiency.

Following their concerns was that I create a test or test to distinguish children who suffered from some type of deficiency at the cognitive level and with it that they received a different education from that of the rest. So, In 1905 he designed the first intelligence test and the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale. His intention was to support people who suffered from major difficulties.

Another interested in measuring mental skills was the psychologist Charles Spearman and it was he who introduced the term G factor, or general intelligence. He also designed a factorial analysis to explain his intelligence theory, according to which any intelligence measure could be divided into two components, one called G and another S.

However, before these models, Thurstone proposes a multifactorial alternative model to measure cognitive abilities. This model is opposed to the proposed by Spearman and is among the multifactorial models of intelligence, so it uses the factorial analysis. His analysis was very different from Spearman's and gave him other tools to understand the structure of intelligence.

According to the Thurstone model There is no general factor located at the top of a structure, that is, it does not follow a hierarchical model, but these are specific factors that, in reality, are different mental skills and that is why it is called its theory primary mental skills.

It is for this reason that an individual's intelligence can only be represented through scores obtained from the tasks that correspond to a certain aptitude. In addition, these skills are independent of each other, in addition to being specialized in different operations and tasks. With this, Thurstone denies the existence of the G Factor.

The facts

He Primary skills model It is based on thirteen factors, of which it is possible to identify seven.

1. Factor V: which corresponds to verbal understanding and the ability to handle the language. The test measures reading, disorderly phrases, analogies, among others.
2. The W Factor: with which verbal fluidity is measured, which includes verbal speed in the use of simple words. Anagrams are measured.
3. Factor N: corresponds to numerical understanding and the speed of calculating.
4. Factor E: corresponds to spatial aptitude, or the visualization of figures in different positions within a space. MEASURE THE SET FIGURES.
5. Factor M: in which the mechanical memory is measured, that is, the ease with which the numbers or words can be repeated.
6. Factor P: It measures the perceptual speed, the precise and rapid collection of visual details, as well as similarities and differences.
7. The R Factor: in which general reasoning is measured, or the ability to obtain a common way of solving problems, for example.

Of the mentioned model, Thurstone develops the primary mental skills test, in which Evaluate five of the seven indicated skills. And each of the skills is measured independently. The test lasts twenty -six minutes and only applies from eleven years.

Regarding the ability of verbal understanding, This test must last only four minutes; As for spatial understanding, this capacity must be measured only for five minutes.

With respect to general reasoning, This capacity is evaluated for six minutes; The capacity of numerical understanding must be measured for six minutes; Verbal fluency for five minutes, giving all measurements a total of twenty -six minutes.

It should be noted that There is a diversity of criticism regarding intelligence tests, Starting with questioning the concept of intelligence itself.

One of the criticisms claimed that multifactorial tests worked to measure or design tests, but not to understand what the intelligence or nature of the same was.

In addition to this, the test of primary mental skills was also criticized claiming that there is no theory about intelligence that is separated from them, so they could consider as predictors, that is, useful for selection and guidance, but not To measure intelligence.

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Bibliography

• Cardona, t., González, J. M., & De Gutiérrez, and. (1973). Relationship between the socio-economic level and the primary mental skills test in Barranquilla, Colombia. Latin American Magazine of Psychology, 5(3), 293-301.
• Enriquez, J. C. G. (2011). Relationship between physical aptitude and primary mental skills and adaptation in high school students. ICD Collection: Research in Sports Sciences, (10).
• Recharte, l. M. M. (2016). BARMOS OF THE PRIMARY MENTAL APPEARANCE TEST FOR HONDUREHY UNIVERSITY. Science and Technology Magazine, 198-227.
• Vega Cañaveral, J. M. (2020). "Primary mental skills and its relationship with the self -perception of competencies, in students of the last levels of the General Psychology career of the Indoamerica University of the City of Ambato in the year 2019 " (Bachelor's ahesis, Indoamerica Technological University).