Intelligence From the Standpoint of a (Pragmatic) Behaviorist

Intelligence is defined as a phenotypic behavioral trait. It is the size of the intellectual repertoire measured at a particular point in time. Circularity is avoided by defining intellectual by consensus among persons doing research in the area. Information about the intercorrelations of elements in the intellectual repertoire is used to delineate further the construct. When assumptions about human development are added, the resulting theory allows testable predictions to be made about the trait. The theory is, however, one of small scale. It provides no theorems about how problems are solved, and it is not antithetical to research that leads to understanding the anatomical and biochemical mechanisms underlying the behavioral trait. The latter is assumed to have both genetic and environmental substrates. Intelligence so defined has many important correlates that are congruent with the theory.