Structure of Intellect theory[edit]
According to Guilford's Structure of Intellect (SI) theory (1955), an individual's performance on
intelligence tests can be traced back to the underlying mental abilities or factors of intelligence. SI
theory comprises up to 180 different intellectual abilities organized along three dimensions:
operations, content, and products.
The Structure of Intellect Theory advanced by Guilford was applied by Mary N. Meeker for
educational purposes.[3]
Operations dimension[edit]
SI includes six operations or general intellectual processes:
1. Cognition - The ability to understand, comprehend, discover, and become aware of
information
2. Memory recording - The ability to encode information
3. Memory retention - The ability to recall information
4. Divergent production - The ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem; creativity
5. Convergent production - The ability to deduce a single solution to a problem; rule-following
or problem-solving
6. Evaluation - The ability to judge whether or not information is accurate, consistent, or valid
Content dimension[edit]
SI includes four broad areas of information to which the human intellect applies the six operations:
1. Figural - Concrete, real world information, tangible objects, things in the environment - It
includes A. visual: information perceived through sight, B. auditory: information perceived
through hearing, and C. kinesthetic: information perceived through one's own physical
actions
2. Symbolic - Information perceived as symbols or signs that stand for something else, e.g.,
Arabic numerals, the letters of an alphabet, or musical and scientific notations
3. Semantic - Concerned with verbal meaning and ideas - Generally considered to be abstract
in nature.
4. Behavioral - Information perceived as acts of people (This dimension was not fully
researched in Guilford's project. It remains theoretical and is generally not included in the
final model that he proposed for describing human intelligence.)
Product dimension[edit]
As the name suggests, this dimension contains results of applying particular operations to specific
contents. The SI model includes six products in increasing complexity:
1. Units - Single items of knowledge
2. Classes - Sets of units sharing common attributes
3. Relations - Units linked as opposites or in associations, sequences, or analogies
4. Systems - Multiple relations interrelated to comprise structures or networks
5. Transformations - Changes, perspectives, conversions, or mutations to knowledge
6. Implications - Predictions, inferences, consequences, or anticipations of knowledge
Therefore, according to Guilford there are 5 x 6 x 6 = 180 intellectual abilities or factors (his research
only confirmed about three behavioral abilities, so it is generally not included in the model). Each
ability stands for a particular operation in a particular content area and results in a specific product,
such as Comprehension of Figural Units or Evaluation of Semantic Implications.
Guilford's original model was composed of 120 components (when the behavioral component is
included) because he had not separated Figural Content into separate Auditory and Visual contents,
nor had he separated Memory into Memory Recording and Memory Retention. When he separated
Figural into Auditory and Visual contents, his model increased to 5 x 5 x 6 = 150 categories. When
Guilford separated the memory functions, his model finally increased to 180 factors. [4]
