Positioned at the middle level of the CHC hierarchy, broad abilities represent general cognitive functions. Examples of these abilities include fluid reasoning, short-term memory, and processing speed.

Broad Abilities in CHC Theory

Narrow abilities form the bottom and most specific level of the CHC hierarchy. These distinct cognitive skills are the only ones that can be measured directly. For example, the broad ability of short-term memory is composed of narrow abilities like memory span and working memory capacity.

Narrow Abilities in CHC Theory

The CHC theory organizes cognitive skills into three tiers: general intelligence at the top, broad abilities in the middle, and narrow abilities at the bottom. Although only the narrow abilities are directly measurable, they are integrated within the higher-level abilities.

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Considered the most comprehensive model of intelligence to date, the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory proposes that cognitive abilities are interrelated and organized into a hierarchical structure.

Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Theory of Cognitive Abilities

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

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