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🥸intro to psychology review

Primary Mental Abilities

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025

Definition

Primary mental abilities refer to the fundamental cognitive capacities that underlie human intelligence and creativity. These basic abilities, as identified by psychologist Louis Thurstone, are the building blocks that contribute to an individual's overall intellectual functioning.

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5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. Thurstone proposed that intelligence is not a single, general ability, but rather a collection of seven primary mental abilities.
  2. The seven primary mental abilities identified by Thurstone are verbal comprehension, word fluency, number facility, spatial ability, associative memory, perceptual speed, and reasoning.
  3. These primary mental abilities are considered relatively independent from one another and can be measured and assessed individually.
  4. An individual's profile of primary mental abilities can help explain their unique cognitive strengths and weaknesses, which may influence their academic and professional performance.
  5. Understanding primary mental abilities is crucial in the assessment and development of both intelligence and creativity, as these fundamental abilities contribute to an individual's overall cognitive potential.

Review Questions

  • Explain how the concept of primary mental abilities differs from the traditional view of intelligence as a single, general ability.
    • The traditional view of intelligence often conceptualized it as a single, general ability that could be measured through standardized tests. In contrast, the theory of primary mental abilities proposed by Thurstone suggests that intelligence is not a unitary construct, but rather a collection of relatively independent cognitive capacities, such as verbal comprehension, spatial ability, and reasoning. This perspective acknowledges the multifaceted nature of human intelligence and allows for a more nuanced understanding of an individual's cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
  • Describe how the identification of primary mental abilities has influenced the assessment and understanding of creativity.
    • The recognition of primary mental abilities has had a significant impact on the assessment and understanding of creativity. Creativity is often seen as the ability to generate novel and innovative ideas, solutions, or products. By understanding the specific cognitive capacities that contribute to an individual's intellectual functioning, such as verbal fluency, associative memory, and reasoning, researchers and practitioners can better assess and nurture the unique combinations of primary mental abilities that underlie creative potential. This more comprehensive view of cognition has led to the development of more targeted interventions and educational approaches to foster creativity, rather than relying solely on traditional measures of general intelligence.
  • Analyze how the concept of primary mental abilities has influenced the field of educational psychology and the design of instructional strategies.
    • The concept of primary mental abilities has had a profound influence on the field of educational psychology and the design of instructional strategies. By recognizing that individuals possess varying profiles of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, educators can tailor their teaching methods and learning environments to better support the diverse needs of students. For example, students with strong spatial abilities may benefit from hands-on, visual-spatial learning activities, while those with strong verbal comprehension may thrive in language-rich environments. This personalized approach to education, informed by the understanding of primary mental abilities, has the potential to enhance student engagement, academic achievement, and the development of both intelligence and creativity.