In the history of the development of psychology, much attention has been paid to the study of the concept of intelligence and the individual characteristics of this aspect of personality. In the course of research, it was found that non-verbal intelligence is an integral part of mental abilities. Knowing what kind of substructure it is and how you can influence it will open up new facets in self-knowledge and self-improvement of a person.
The concept of human intelligence
In modern psychology, intelligence is seen as the ability of a person to adapt to new circumstances and situations. Also in this concept includes the ability of the individual to learn new material and learn new skills.
In the course of many years of research on this concept, conducted by many experts, it was found that intelligence can be divided into two main substructures - verbal and nonverbal. Each of them has its own field of functioning, an individual level of development and potential ways of evolution.
The concept of non-verbal component of intelligence
The concept of “non-verbal intelligence” means a kind of intelligence that uses a visual image and spatial representation as a support. It is worth noting that this substructure develops in every person in the same way as the verbal component. However, the level of non-verbal intelligence is individual.
Non-verbal thinking of a person is based on operations related to visual objects. Representing these objects, a person gets the opportunity to assess the similarities and differences of different objects or images. Also, thanks to this substructure, people can determine the position of an object in space. Developing non-verbal intelligence, a person begins to better understand diagrams and drawings. Also, the level of development of the non-verbal component of intelligence affects the ability in the field of drawing and design.
General principles for the diagnosis of nonverbal substructure
Today, there are many ways that diagnose verbal and non-verbal intelligence. The differences are in tasks and materials on the basis of which tasks are formed.
Diagnosis of non-verbal intelligence is carried out using tasks based on visual materials. Often a common test task is to draw figures from individual elements, manipulate objects, or compare visual material provided for the test. In most cases, the state of non-verbal intelligence is assessed using Kos cubes, progressive Raven matrices or a board of Ségen forms.
However, there are also such methods that give the psychologist the opportunity to evaluate the verbal and non-verbal substructure at the same time. The most used is the Wexler test. However, it is worth noting that the diagnosis of both components takes a lot of time. Most often, the test drags on for a half or two hours.
Wexler Test Description
This test, also known in psychology as the Wechsler scale, is the most common and best-known method for determining the level of development of human intelligence. It was created by David Wexler in 1939. The test is based on the hierarchical model of Wexler's intelligence, which makes it possible to consider all the components of intelligence at the same time.
The composition of this diagnostic technique includes 11 subtests, divided into two groups. 6 tasks are aimed at verbal intelligence testing, and 5 - at determining the level of development of the non-verbal component. Each test contains from 10 to 30 tasks, the complexity of which is gradually growing. Each completed subtest is scored. The final result is translated into a unified assessment on a scale, which makes it possible to assess the spread. When evaluating the results, the general intelligence coefficient, the ratio of the level of development of the verbal and non-verbal component are taken into account, and the implementation of each individual task assigned to the test is analyzed.
Processing Wexler Test Results
After a person has completed all the subtests, you need to correctly calculate and interpret the points received in the final result. For this process, you must have at hand the necessary tables for this.
The assessment is carried out at three levels:
- Scoring and interpretation of points of general intelligence, verbal and non-verbal components.
- Profile analysis of performance estimates based on coefficients.
- Qualitative interpretation of estimates, taking into account the observation of the behavior of the test and other diagnosed information.
The standard processing is that the psychologist calculates the primary points for each of the tasks, that is, summarizes the "raw" assessments of the subject. After that, through special tables, the “raw” result is reduced to the standard and displayed in the form of a profile. The summarized results in a standard form determine the indicators of general, non-verbal and verbal intelligence.
The classification of the results is as follows:
- 130 points or more - a very high coefficient of intelligence.
- 120-129 points - a high level.
- 110-119 points - a good norm.
- 90-109 points - average intelligence coefficient.
- 80-89 points are a bad norm.
- 70-79 points are a segment of the border zone.
- 69 points and below indicate the presence of a mental defect in the subject.
Age-related adaptations of the Wexler method
Depending on the age of the test, the study of non-verbal intelligence and other components of the concept of "intelligence" is carried out according to one of the three age adaptations of the Wexler test. This is due to the fact that at different ages, human intelligence develops in a specific way, which significantly affects the tasks that can be performed.
Today, for children from 4 to 6.5 years old, the WPPSI modification is used. WISC is an adaptation for ages from 6.5 to 16.5 years. For anyone over the age of 16.5, the WAIS version is used.
How can a non-verbal component of intelligence be developed?
Non-verbal intelligence can be developed. To date, there are special techniques and exercises for this, the systematic implementation of which will help develop this intelligence substructure.
First of all, a person striving to develop a non-verbal structure of intelligence must learn not just to watch, but to see. For example, when you see cars colliding on the road, you should not limit yourself to a surface inspection of the situation. Attempts to see the full picture and understand the causes of the incident contribute to the development of the non-verbal component. Restoring all factors that have fallen from the field of vision and the whole picture of the situation, a person trains his intellect and develops a level of observation.
Destruction of patterns of thinking is no less progressive. At the initial stage, you can change such simple things as the route from home to work or the path taken through the storeroom during purchases. Any change in the usual actions and pictures causes the brain to change the picture of the environment, which becomes familiar and draws a person into a comfort zone.
The development of a non-verbal substructure of the intellect is facilitated by reading literature that is difficult to understand and understanding each step described in this literature. No less useful is a thoughtful reading of literature relating to activities unusual for humans.
Conclusion
Human intelligence is a rather multifaceted concept. In modern psychology, there are diagnostic methods for each of these components. You can also find useful tips and tricks with which you can develop a particular component of intelligence and increase the overall level of intellectual development.