Chinese and Australian Concepts of Intelligence

Abstract

The paper explores the Chinese conceptualisation of intelligence and points out how Western techniques of measurement of intellectual functions arefarfrom satisfactory. Two studies are presented. Both studies used the relevance rating technique to investigate the notion of intelligence held by two groups which differed in terms of culture and race (Australian and Taiwanese students, Study 1) and also in terms of educational experience (traditional Chinese and English schooling systems) but of the same culture (Study 2). In both studies items selected from two well-known intelligence tests were rated for their relevance to measuring intelligence as well as in terms of their difficulty level. Study 1 showed that three factors—non-reasoning ability, verbal reasoning ability and rote memory—constituted the concept of intelligence. In Study 2 as well, subjects of both groups shared a common structure of intelligence. The implications of using Western intelligence tests for non-Western groups are discussed.

Relationship between Chinese adjective descriptors of personality and emotional symptoms in young Chinese patients with bipolar disorders

“…In conclusion, the present results support other studies which show that Chinese people emphasize Intelligent and Agreeable traits, 44,45 and also suggest that the four traits (Intelligent, Emotional, Unsocial and Agreeable) contribute to emotional symptoms differently in patients with bipolar I and II disorders. The present study, from a limited aspect, might offer culture-related clues to study emotional expression or control in Chinese people, to study the traitbases of the two types of bipolar disorder, and to develop bipolar type-specific psychotherapy strategies.…”

Beliefs about the meaning and measurement of intelligence: a cross‐cultural comparison of American, British and Malaysian undergraduates

“…That is, based on the 30 items used in the present questionnaire, there appeared to be little difference in the factor structures of the different groups. Assuming that these structures are accurate indicators of beliefs shaped by cultural environments, they provide evidence of cross-cultural similarity (at least in Malaysia, Britain and the US) in concepts about intelligence (Chen, 1994).…”

Competence Versus Performance Models of People and Tests: A Commentary on Richardson and Norgate

“…Yang and Sternberg (1997b) studied contemporary Taiwanese Chinese conceptions of intelligence, and found five factors underlying these conceptions: (a) a general cognitive factor, much like the g factor in conventional Western tests; (b) interpersonal intelligence (i.e., social competence); (c) intrapersonal intelligence; (d) intellectual self-assertion; and (e) intellectual self-effacement. In a related study but with different results, Chen (1994) found three factors underlying Chinese conceptualizations of intelligence: nonverbal reasoning ability, verbal reasoning ability, and rote memory. The difference may be due to different subpopulations of Chinese, to differences in methodology, or to differences in when the studies were done.…”

“…Of course, comparing the Chen (1994) to the Sternberg et al (1981) study simultaneously varies both language and culture.…”