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What 's Definition Of Intelligence And Tell Me What Exactly Did Wechsler Mean?

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1. Please parse Wechsler’s definition of intelligence and tell me what exactly did Wechsler mean? 2. How did he come to understand intelligence as he did? “Intelligence is the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally and to deal effectively with his environment” (Wechsler, 1939 p. 3). Wechsler explains that it is global because it characterizes the individual’s behavior as a whole, it is aggregate because it is composed of elements or abilities which are qualitatively differentiable. Wechsler further explains that intelligence is not just a sum of these abilities. Intelligent behavior is a result of the interaction of these abilities. Intelligent behavior can be determined by other factors than intellectual abilities, such as drive and incentive. An excess of any given ability may add relatively little to the effectiveness of a behavior as a whole. Wechsler differentiates between intelligence and intellectual abilities. ‘Although intelligence is no mere sum of intellectual abilities, the only way we can evaluate it quantitatively is by the measurement of the various aspects of these abilities’.(Wechsler, Wechsler conceptualization of intelligence had been influenced by Spearman who pioneered the concept of g as global intelligence. Although Spearman was reluctant to call g global intelligence, Wechsler pointed out that g does equal intelligence because it measured intellectual tasks exclusively. Spearman’s g factor was the

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