Cattell, Raymond B.

Cattell, Raymond B.

(kətĕl`), 1905–, American psychologist, b. Staffordshire, England. He came to the United States in 1937 and served as research professor at the Univ. of Illinois (1944–73). He maintained that human personality consisted of 46 surface traits, from which could be derived 16 source traits that constitute personality. From this theory he developed (1950) the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. He also developed an influential theory suggesting that intelligenceintelligence,
in psychology, the general mental ability involved in calculating, reasoning, perceiving relationships and analogies, learning quickly, storing and retrieving information, using language fluently, classifying, generalizing, and adjusting to new situations.
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 should be divided into fluid, or innate, ability and crystallized, or culturally constituted, intelligence. A prolific writer, his works include Abilities: Their Structure, Growth, and Action (1971) and Personality and Learning Theory (2 vol., 1979–80).