The concept of general and specific intelligence was given by

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (a) Spearman. Charles Spearman, a British psychologist, proposed the Two-Factor Theory of Intelligence, which introduced the concepts of General Intelligence (g) and Specific Intelligence (s). According to Spearman, all cognitive performance can be explained by two factors:

1. General intelligence (g): A common factor that influences performance on all mental tasks. It reflects the overall mental energy or capacity that an individual uses across a wide variety of situations.
2. Specific intelligence (s): A factor that is unique to a particular task. For example, a person may have a specific ability in mathematics or music that is not necessarily related to general intelligence.

Information Booster

1. Spearman introduced his Two-Factor Theory in 1904.
2. The 'g' factor accounts for correlations among different intellectual tasks.
3. The 's' factor accounts for unique abilities in specific domains.
4. His theory laid the foundation for IQ testing and intelligence measurement.
5. He used factor analysis, a statistical technique, to derive the general and specific factors.

Additional Knowledge (Other Options Explained)

• (b) Thorndike: Proposed the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, classifying intelligence into abstract, mechanical, and social intelligence.
• (c) Thurstone: Rejected Spearman’s single-factor theory and proposed the Primary Mental Abilities theory, which identified seven independent abilities, such as verbal comprehension, numerical ability, etc.
• (d) Gardner: Known for the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which includes linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic intelligence. His model challenges the notion of a single general intelligence.