IQ and non-verbal intelligence: an integrative review of the literature
El
coeficiente intelectual y la inteligencia no verbal: revisión integradora de la
literatura
QI e
inteligência não-verbal: uma revisão integrativa da literatura
Elián José Villao Orellana *
Abstract
This bibliographic
review article has the objective of carrying out an integrative review of the
literature in English and Spanish on IQ and non-verbal intelligence as
references for the consolidation of a holistic state of the art. The scope of
the study is retrospective from 2013 to 2023, jointly, the use of the
Integrative Review of Literature and its stages as guidelines for information
filtering, highlighting the criteria for analysis of bibliographic information
in the second stage, jointly, the RedENSO instrument to collate the data. The
results denote that the literature related to IQ and non-verbal intelligence is
incipient, most of the analyzed studies focus their development on praxis, and
the qualitative scientific works are minimal. The relationship between IQ and
nonverbal intelligence is complex. While IQ focuses on verbal and logical
cognitive skills, nonverbal intelligence encompasses visual and spatial skills,
as well as understanding emotions through nonverbal means. Both aspects are important
for a full understanding of a person's intelligence, and it is essential to
recognize and assess both verbal and nonverbal abilities when assessing
intellectual ability.
Keywords: IQ;
non-verbal intelligence, Raven's test, progressive matrices, colored scale,
fluid intelligence.
Resumen
El presente artículo de revisión bibliográfica posee el objetivo de
efectuar una revisión integradora de la literatura en los idiomas inglés y
español sobre el coeficiente intelectual y la inteligencia no verbal como
referentes para la consolidación de un estado del arte holístico. El alcance
del estudio es de carácter retrospectivo desde el 2013 hasta el 2023,
conjuntamente, el empleo de la Revisión Integradora de la Literatura y sus
etapas como directrices para el filtrado de la información, destacando los
criterios de análisis de la información bibliográfica en la segunda etapa,
conjuntamente, el instrumento de la RedENSO como medio para cotejar los datos.
Los resultados denotan que la literatura vinculada al coeficiente intelectual y
la inteligencia no verbal es incipiente, la mayor parte de los estudios
analizados centran su desarrollo en la praxis, son mínimos los trabajos
científicos de corte cualitativo. La relación entre el CI y la inteligencia no
verbal es compleja. Mientras que el CI se enfoca en habilidades cognitivas
verbales y lógicas, la inteligencia no verbal abarca habilidades visuales y
espaciales, así como la comprensión de las emociones a través de medios no
verbales. Ambos aspectos son importantes para una comprensión completa de la
inteligencia de una persona, y es esencial reconocer y valorar tanto las
habilidades verbales como las no verbales al evaluar la capacidad intelectual.
Palabras clave: Coeficiente
intelectual; inteligencia no verbal, test de Raven matrices progresivas escala
coloreada, inteligencia fluida.
Resumo. O objetivo deste artigo de revisão da literatura é realizar
uma revisão integrativa da literatura em inglês e espanhol sobre QI e
inteligência não verbal como referências para a consolidação de um estado da
arte holístico. O âmbito do estudo é de carácter retrospetivo, de 2013 a 2023,
e utiliza-se a Revisão Integrativa da Literatura e as suas etapas como
diretrizes para filtrar a informação, destacando os critérios de análise da
informação bibliográfica na segunda etapa, e o instrumento RedENSO como meio de
recolha de dados. Os resultados demonstram que a literatura ligada ao QI e à
inteligência não verbal é incipiente, a maioria dos estudos analisados centra o
seu desenvolvimento na praxis, sendo escassos os trabalhos científicos de
carácter qualitativo. A relação entre o QI e a inteligência não-verbal é
complexa. Enquanto o QI se centra nas competências cognitivas verbais e lógicas, a inteligência não verbal
engloba as competências visuais e espaciais, bem como a compreensão das emoções
através de meios não verbais. Ambos os aspectos são importantes para uma
compreensão completa da inteligência de uma pessoa, pelo que é essencial
reconhecer e avaliar as competências verbais e não verbais aquando da avaliação
da capacidade intelectual.
Palavras-chave: QI;
inteligência não verbal; teste de Raven, matrizes progressivas, escala
colorida, inteligência fluida.
INTRODUCTION
The literary trends centered on IQ
and non-verbal intelligence are fundamental for the consolidation of
theoretical support, and also constitute the cornerstone of research that will
revolutionize scientific work in education. This requires that the psycho-pedagogical
part generates new concerns, and at the same time, the existing theoretical
contributions can be evidenced in practice, specifically in the
psycho-pedagogical field, providing solutions for the diversity of problems
that arise. Likewise, the conceptual contributions of these categories are
focused on diagnosis, application of specialized instruments for the detection
of alterations and/or disorders, jointly, to qualify the psycho-pedagogical
work in the diverse scenarios. In
spite of the usefulness of the subject matter in the psycho-pedagogical field,
there is very little research in Spanish, so it can be inferred that it is very
little researched, however, the English language opens the range of
possibilities and edges from which these categories referenced in essential
scientific publications are approached for the theoretical conformation of
studies. With the intention of providing these theoretical foundations, a
verification of the state of the art necessary for the constitution of a complete
theoretical approach is carried out by means of an integrative review of the
literature. The present work had as its objective the analysis of the
literature in English and Spanish focused on IQ and nonverbal intelligence as a
reference for the consolidation of a holistic and integral state of the art.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study was based on the methodology of the integrative
literature review, Guirao (2015) refers that it focuses on the search for the
understanding of a topic through a systematized process, together with the
analysis of the results. This review consists of six stages:
First stage Selection of the guiding question: what does the literature
say about IQ and nonverbal intelligence in the infancy stage?
Second stage The following databases were
considered: Word Wide Science, National Library of Medicine, The British
Psychological Society, Scielo, Dialnet and Redalyc. The temporality was based
on a retrospective study Silva Ayçaguer, (2014) delimiting the search time to
eleven years (2012 - 2023). The search descriptors were: IQ, Nonverbal
intelligence, Raven's Test Progressive matrices colored scale. It is necessary
to highlight, that the search descriptors were associated to others where they
are linked to: intelligence, fluid intelligence, mental activity, academic
performance, motor, cognitive and thinking skills. The inclusion criteria are
focused on children from five to ten years old, scientific articles focused on
the area of psychopedagogy, master's theses and doctoral programs. The
exclusion criteria are framed by a sample of children from zero to four years
old, children from eleven years old to adolescence, young people and adults, as
well as undergraduate and technological degree works.
Third stage The studies are presented in table
format considering the following criteria: reference, key words, objective of
the study, methodology and main contribution.
Fourth stage Analysis of the studies
identifying similarities, methodologies and differences with the studied
subject.
Fifth stage Interpretation of the results grouped according to each
category.
Sixth Stage Clearly describe the findings.
RESULTS
A total of 51
documents were reviewed, of which 5 were master's degree works and 46
scientific articles, a comparison was made by means of the instrument adapted
from the RedENSO International Palucci Marziale (2015) to identify the
contribution to the subject, from this the selection of 20 documents was made,
16 scientific articles and 4 master's degree works, these studies met the
inclusion criteria for their selection and validity of the integrative review
of the literature. These data set a precedent for the boom and increase in
research linked to IQ and nonverbal intelligence, as shown by the trend in the
following graph:
Figure 1. Publications on IQ and non-verbal
intelligence
Based on the filtering and selection of studies on IQ and nonverbal
intelligence, it was noted that most of them are applicative proposals and
researches. The documentation revealed the predominance of studies with a
quantitative approach in 85%, also, 10% were linked to the mixed approach and
5% to the qualitative approach. The selected studies reflect various designs,
it should be noted that a research has the possibility of applying various
types of methodological designs to achieve the proposed objective, as shown in
the following table:
Table 1. Methodological
designs of the selected studies
|
DISEÑO |
CANTIDAD |
PORCENTAJE |
|
Explicativo |
1 |
3% |
|
Descriptivo |
4 |
13% |
|
Cuasiexperimental |
2 |
6% |
|
Transversal |
7 |
23% |
|
Longitudinal |
3 |
10% |
|
Observacional |
3 |
10% |
|
Experimental |
2 |
6% |
|
No experimental |
2 |
6% |
|
Exploratorio |
1 |
3% |
|
Correlacional |
6 |
19% |
Based on
the table, a preponderance of cross-sectional and correlational studies is
evident. The level of literary development is at an apogee, evidencing a parity
between investigations that intervene and do not intervene with the selected
subjects, it is necessary to highlight the passage from descriptive level
studies to those of quasi-experimental or experimental cut with the intention
of validating in an accurate way the incidence of the IQ in the development of
non-verbal intelligence, in order to obtain the ideal techniques and
instruments for future studies or interventions.
In terms
of language, 55% corresponds to publications in English and 45% in Spanish. It
should be noted that there was evidence of more studies in English
corresponding to the categories, however, the exclusion criteria did not
contemplate the population established in these studies and therefore they were
discarded. In addition, there is minimal research in Spanish in these
categories.
Based on
the integrative review of the literature, the following information themes were
established:
IQ as a
predictor of cognitive abilities.
The IQ is
the figure of the intellectual capacity of the human being according to age. In
this regard, Sotero and Barrios (2021) state that intelligence and IQ are
developed by the complexity of neuronal systems, which are formed by the
person's experiences and nutrition. Likewise, Azeroual et al. (2022) state that
IQ is a predictor of cognitive abilities and to some extent school success.
However, Józsa et al. (2022) note that external involvement can be a
determinant of a child's academic success; these factors involve preschool
skill development and the educational level of the caregiver.
The act
of categorizing students with labels of “success” and “failure” in school is an
ambiguous paradigm that denotes little appreciation and study of the diversity
of intelligences and intellectual abilities that a child may possess. Together,
Ferrer and Torres (2014) express that the application of instruments focused on
the measurement of IQ may denote a numerical assessment, however, the data
obtained may not reflect reality, due to a number of variables and qualities
that affect at the time of performing the test, the social pressure to obtain a
high score for being classified as an outstanding student, nervousness, among
others, are factors that can alter the result.
Obtaining
a weighting after the application of an instrument specialized in IQ indicates
the high or low abilities of a person, however, a study should be conducted at
the same time focused on the domain of multisensory processing and motor
skills. Alhamdan et al. (2023) report that people who show difficulties with
auditory and visual stimuli in standardized tests will present setbacks at the
time of their development, so it is important to perform visual-motor and
auditory assessment tests.
On the
other hand, extrapolating the subject to socioeconomic areas, these constitute
a faithful reference of low intellectual coefficients, corresponding to living
standards in low strata, as referred by Zapata et al. (2012), low-income
infants present cognitive difficulties, linked to memory, visual and nonverbal
information, concentration, attention, among others. The literature mentions
that poverty has unfavorable consequences on intelligence scores in children,
as well as on academic performance. Mandlik et al. (2019) state that families
with a considerably good or stable purchasing power have free access to the
full range of tools to develop the potential of their members.
Instruments
used in the measurement of intelligence
Raven's
Test Progressive Matrices Colored Scale
Huarachi Ortega (2021) refers that it is an instrument used in educational
psychology and psycho-pedagogy for the evaluation of non-verbal intelligence,
as well as IQ in children from 6 to 11 years old. Albanese et al. (2010) state
that the advantages of this test are related to its application in infants
without taking into account their culture or motor deficits, in addition, it is
economical, can provide entertainment due to its graphic composition, focuses
attention, promotes analogical reasoning, exploring and comparing, together
with the speed in problem solving. The composition of the test is centered on 3
series with 12 items divided into A, AB, and B. The same that allow measuring
the skills of abstract thinking, problem solving and reasoning.
Kaufman
Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT)
The K-BIT
was designed for the measurement of verbal and non-verbal intelligence in
people aged 4 to 90 years. It consists of a subtest focused on vocabulary
measuring verbal ability, which contains expressive vocabulary and definitions.
In conjunction, there is a subtest of matrices that measures non-verbal skills,
which demand flexibility and problem-solving strategies, denoting visual
stimuli of figurative and abstract types. In this regard, Coneo et al. (2020)
state that the evaluated subject responds by selecting the letter he/she
considers correct.
Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV)
Mathiassen et al. (2012) state that the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for
Children is a test that measures intellectual abilities in a hierarchical
manner, in relation to general intellectual abilities. This test is made up of
15 subtests, which are divided into: total intelligence quotient (TIQ) and four
additional indexes: verbal comprehension (VC), perceptual reasoning (PR),
working memory (WM) and processing speed (PS). Faerman et al. (2023) refer that
this test evaluates crystallized ability, visual processing and perception,
fluid intelligence and short-term memory; on the other hand, the ideal age for
the application of this test is from 6 to 16 years old.
Nonverbal
intelligence and its edges
Baró
(2018) points out that nonverbal intelligence refers to the ability to
understand and use nonverbal communication, which includes gestures, facial
expressions, body postures, tone of voice and other nonverbal aspects. This
form of intelligence involves the ability to interpret and transmit information
through non-linguistic means.
On the
other hand, Ramirez et al. (2016) indicate that fluid or nonverbal intelligence
is a psychological concept that refers to a person's ability to solve problems
logically, adapt to new situations and learn new skills quickly. Coneo et al.
(2020) point out that it is a part of general intelligence that involves the
ability to reason abstractly, solve complex problems, understand patterns and
relationships. It also tends to be more prominent in the early stages of life,
when cognitive potential is developing, and may be influenced by genetic and
environmental factors. However, Melzer et al. (2015) expound that they can also
continue to develop throughout life through continuous learning, exposure to
new experiences and challenges.
In spite
of the great variety of scientific research, the literature related to IQ and
non-verbal intelligence is incipient, most of the studies analyzed focus their
development on praxis, and there is a minimum of qualitative scientific work.
It is evident the predominance of statistical aspects at the moment of
supporting hypotheses of the studies, with the purpose of supporting them with
a numerical base.
Nonverbal intelligence and IQ are two closely related concepts, but also
different in their approach and scope. Both refer to cognitive abilities and
mental skills, but each addresses different aspects of human intelligence. In
agreement with Caza (2019) IQ is a measure that attempts to quantify a person's
general intelligence by conducting standardized tests that assess specific
cognitive abilities, such as logical reasoning, memory, mathematical and verbal
skills.
On a par with Castro (2021), it can be seen that IQ has been criticized for its
reductionist approach, because it attempts to measure human intelligence in a
limited way and through tests that do not always fully reflect the range of
intellectual abilities of a person. Furthermore, concurrently with Ferrer and
Torres (2014) it has been argued that IQ tests may have cultural or social
biases, meaning that some people may score lower because of their background
and experiences, not necessarily because of their actual intelligence
Nonverbal intelligence refers to the ability to process and use information
without involving verbal language. This form of intelligence encompasses a
broad spectrum of skills, such as visual pattern recognition, spatial skills,
emotional understanding, empathy, facial expression, nonverbal communication,
and the ability to solve practical problems creatively. It is a type of
intelligence that is closely related to the perception and interpretation of
visual and sensory stimuli.
Nonverbal intelligence plays an essential role in everyday life and social
interactions. For example, the ability to read the facial expressions of
others, understanding emotions and responding appropriately in social
situations. Likewise, the ability to solve practical and spatial problems can
be crucial in certain professions, such as architecture, engineering, design,
among others.
It is important to understand in correspondence with Shaqiri et al. (2022) that
nonverbal intelligence and IQ are complementary and necessary aspects to
understand human intelligence as a whole. IQ focuses on the more academic and
analytical cognitive skills, such as logical reasoning and verbal skills.
However, this does not fully capture the full spectrum of intelligence that
encompasses practical, emotional and social aspects of life. Nonverbal
intelligence provides a more holistic perspective of intelligence because it
involves the ability to understand the world around us through nonverbal
stimuli and nonverbal communication. Similarly, the contribution of Martin and
Santiago (2021) is shared, which is that the form of intelligence can be
equally valuable and relevant in different contexts of daily life and in
various professions. It is essential to recognize that each individual
possesses a unique combination of verbal and nonverbal intelligence. Some
people may have high nonverbal intelligence, which will allow them to excel in
artistic, creative or social fields. On the other hand, there are people with
high IQ who may excel in academic and analytical tasks. Human intelligence
should not be reduced to a single measure, as it is a complex and multifaceted
combination of different abilities.
In
conclusion, the literature reviewed includes a variety of enriching postulates,
it is essential to carry out an adequate and thorough review to extract the
most relevant and essential information for the constitution of a congruent
theoretical support in a study. It is necessary to highlight, based on the
large amount of information gathered, that nonverbal intelligence and IQ are
two complementary aspects of human intelligence. While IQ focuses on academic
and cognitive skills, nonverbal intelligence encompasses emotional, social and
practical aspects. Both aspects are valuable and must be recognized to gain a
complete understanding of human intelligence. By recognizing the diversity of
intelligences, the diverse skills and talents that each individual possesses
can be appreciated and fostered.
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