Spearman's two-factor theory includes what two factors?

• A. Fluid and crystallized intelligence
• B. Analytic and creative intelligence
• C. Primary mental abilities and general factor
• D. General factor (g) and specific factors

Answer: (D)

Spearman's idea is that intelligence has a general factor that underlies performance on all cognitive tasks, plus specific factors that account for differences on individual tasks. The general factor, g, explains why people tend to do well across a wide range of tests, since it reflects shared mental energy or capacity. The specific factors capture the unique skills or abilities tied to particular tasks that aren’t explained by g alone, which is why scores on different tests aren’t perfectly correlated.

This view aligns with the option describing a general factor (g) and specific factors. The other pairings come from different theories—fluid and crystallized intelligence come from Cattell’s framework, analytic and creative intelligence are associated with Sternberg’s models, and primary mental abilities with general factor mixes Thurstone’s ideas with g, which isn’t how Spearman framed his two-factor theory.