Which theory recognizes general intelligence and multiple broad and narrow cognitive abilities, including fluid and crystallized intelligence?

• A. Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Theory
• B. Gardner's Multiple Intelligences
• C. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory
• D. Wechsler Scales

Answer: (A)

CHC theory organizes intelligence as a hierarchy that includes a general intelligence factor alongside multiple broad abilities, with even more specific narrow skills beneath them. It explicitly names broad domains like fluid intelligence, which handles reasoning with new problems and novel situations, and crystallized intelligence, which relies on acquired knowledge and experience. This framework explains why people can be strong in problem-solving tasks yet rely differently on learned facts, and it underpins how many cognitive tests report a general score plus scores for the broad abilities and their narrower components. Gardner’s model treats intelligences as largely independent; Sternberg’s theory centers on three types of intelligence (analytical, creative, practical) rather than a structured hierarchy of broad and narrow abilities; and Wechsler Scales are tests that measure intelligence rather than a theory about how cognitive abilities are organized.