John Carroll's three-stratum theory

Definition

John Carroll's three-stratum theory is a hierarchical model of intelligence that proposes three levels or strata of cognitive abilities. The first stratum represents specific abilities, the second stratum includes broad factors, and the third stratum encompasses a general factor called 'g'.

Related terms

Specific Abilities: These are individual skills or talents within a particular domain, such as musical aptitude or spatial reasoning.

Broad Factors: These are higher-level cognitive abilities that group similar specific abilities together under categories like fluid intelligence or crystallized intelligence.

General Factor ('g'): This refers to an overarching factor that influences performance in various cognitive tasks and represents overall intelligence across different domains.