Theoretical Perspectives
This week you examine a number of theories of intelligence on which current measures of intelligence are based. The importance of theory is not always obvious, but knowledge and understanding of theory will help you make effective use of information garnered from assessments. This, in turn, will help you make sound decisions for the people with whom you are working.
As you explore this week’s Learning Resources, you will see that many theories address the concept of intelligence as an overall cognitive ability, while others represent it as multiple abilities. For this Discussion, choose one theoretical perspective on cognition, intelligence, or personal competence and consider its advantages over other theoretical perspectives.
Write a description of the theoretical perspective you chose, and then discuss its advantages over other theoretical perspectives. Include a rationale for why this perspective would be relevant to your potential future area of psychological practice.
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THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Sociologists and psychologists need theoretical perspectives to explain the different phenomenon in the field of sociology. A theoretical perspective is an integration of inferences that are used to answer different questions. Use of theoretical perspectives allows the organization of ideas from a sociologist’s point of view where some ideas about a particular phenomenon are included while others are excluded. When ideas are clear, the sociologists are then able to foresee the social system, (James & Sells, 2013). Three main theoretical perspectives are used; (1) the symbolic interactionist perspective concentrates on how the social world is influenced by factors such as social groups and institutions.
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