Practice question · Multiple choice
Gardner proposes several independent intelligences. The standard psychometric objection is that scores on almost any two cognitive tests correlate positively. Why is that correlation a problem for his theory specifically?
Hints
- "Independent" is a statistical word. What does it predict about a correlation matrix?
- Spearman's g was inferred from precisely this pattern. What was the pattern?
Show the answer
A. Because independent abilities should be uncorrelated, and are not.
Why
The objection is a prediction test: genuinely independent abilities should correlate near zero, and what is found is the positive manifold, the very observation from which Spearman inferred g. Gardner replies that standard batteries run through language and logic and barely measure several of his intelligences, so the matrix is drawn from a narrow slice.
Practise Cognitive and Multiple Intelligences
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More questions on Cognitive and Multiple Intelligences
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