Components of Verbal Intelligence.
Abstract
The purpose of this project was to develop and test a theory of the components of verbal intelligence. Alternative theoretical frameworks for understanding verbal intelligence are reviewed, and then a componential theory of verbal comprehension is proposed. The theory specifies the information- processing components, context cues, and mediating variables underlying acquisition of word meanings from context. A number of experiments testing and supporting the theory are described, including experiments involving both internal and external context. Instructional experiments are also described, and it is concluded that the theory is well supported by the data, and moreover, that it can serve as a useful basis for training people in how to learn meanings of words from context. The theory is extended to novel kinds of concepts as well, and it is shown that the learning of novel concepts involves an interaction between linguisitic and conceptual unfamiliarity. In a series of experiments on causal inference involving verbal versus symbolic-abstract materials, it is shown that although a core of logical operations is applied to both verbal and abstract materials, special processes are involved when people reason about meaningful verbal materials. Keywords: Decontextualization, information processing, causal inference, learning from context, novelty, nonentrenched concepts, verbal comprehension, vocabulary acquisition.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 30, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA163359
Entities
People
- Robert Sternberg
Organizations
- Yale University