THE CROSS‐CULTURAL STUDY OF INTELLIGENCE: PIAGET AND THE BAOULÉ*

TLDR

Piaget’s theory includes a stage theory of concept development and a metatheory of adaptation, yet cross‑cultural research has largely focused on the former, using Piagetian tasks that assess specific concepts rather than general intelligence, implying that intelligence may vary culturally and require distinct yet universally grounded models. The paper aims to introduce the Baoulé concept of intelligence, n'glouèlě, and to emphasize the cultural relativity of intelligence across Piagetian and other frameworks. The authors review methodological issues in cross‑cultural Piagetian research and relate Baoulé children’s n'glouèlě ratings to their performance on Piagetian tasks. They argue that Piagetian tasks do not measure general intelligence but specific concepts, and provide new evidence on the reliability and validity of these tasks in cross‑cultural settings.

Abstract

There are two aspects of Piaget's theory that can be at least partly distinguished: (1) The stage theory, or the development of particular concepts through a series of hierarchical stages; (2) The metatheory, or the interactionist model of adaptation (assimilation and accommodation) that explains the mechanisms of cognitive development. Most cross‐cultural research has been based on the first of these aspects, using and adapting “Piagetian tasks ”in various conceptual areas. Some findings of this line of enquiry, and the methodological problems encountered, are briefly reviewed. It is argued that no specific task, nor a combination of them, can be taken to measure a general cognitive level; the tasks measure the attainment of particular concepts rather than “intelligence”. New evidence is presented on the reliability and validity of Piagetian tasks used in a cross‐cultural setting. In the second model, intelligence is broadly defined as adaptation to the environment; in this conception it would be reasonable to expect divergent paths of cognitive development in different cultures. In other words, one might need a different Piagetian psychology in each culture, but based on universal deep mechanisms. As a modest contribution to a more “emic ”study of intelligence, the concept of intelligence as defined by the Baoulé of Ivory Coast, n'glouèlě is presented and discussed. Ratings on n'glouèlě and its different components are related to performance on Piagetian tasks in a sample of 8‐ to 9‐year‐old rural Baoulé children. The thrust of the paper is to point out once more the cultural relativity of any conception of intelligence, be it from a Piagetian or any other perspective.