What is narrow and broad intelligence?

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Introduction

The concepts of narrow and broad intelligence pertain to different scopes and focuses of mental abilities. Broad intelligence encompasses a range of mental abilities that are relatively specific and fall under the second stratum of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence. Narrow intelligence, on the other hand, often refers to more specific, focused cognitive abilities or beliefs.

Key Insights

Broad Intelligence:
- Broad intelligences include mental abilities such as comprehension knowledge, quantitative reasoning, and visuospatial processing, which are specific in their focus and fall under the second stratum of the CHC model of intelligence.
- Broad intelligences can be categorized into those that focus on reasoning about things (e.g., quantitative, spatial) and those that focus on reasoning about people (e.g., personal, social, emotional intelligence).
- The average correlation among broad intelligences is moderate to high, indicating that while they are distinct, they are also interrelated to some extent.
Narrow Intelligence:
- Narrow intelligence can be seen in the context of specific cognitive processes or beliefs, such as the narrow view of reading, which focuses on specific aspects of reading comprehension but leads to a broader understanding of comprehension as an active process involving background knowledge and cognitive processes.
- Narrow-minded belief, as a form of narrow intelligence, involves beliefs influenced by passion and can be formalized using specific logical systems, such as the Logic Of Narrow-minded belief (LON).

Conclusion

Broad intelligence encompasses a range of specific mental abilities that are interrelated and can be categorized based on their focus on things or people. Narrow intelligence, while more focused, can lead to broader understandings in specific contexts, such as reading comprehension or belief systems. Both concepts highlight the diverse and multifaceted nature of human cognitive abilities.