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

Abstract

This study examined lay beliefs about intelligence cross-culturally using a questionnaire based on an expert summary of what is known about intelligence. Two hundred and thirty five university undergraduates in Malaysia, 347 undergraduates in Britain and 137 undergraduates in the US rated for agreement 30 items about the nature, measurement, between-group differences and practical importance of intelligence. An exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors: (1) stability, reliability and validity of intelligence tests; (2) practical importance of intelligence and (3) source and stability of within-group intelligence. While the overall factor structure did not vary a great deal between groups, there were significant cross-cultural differences on the mean scores for Factors 1-3. Explanations for cross-cultural differences in implicit theories of intelligences are considered, and limitations of the study discussed.