Charles Spearman and the Theory of Neogenesis

Born on September 10th 1863, Charles Spearman was raised in London, England as a child. Charles’s father was Alex Young Spearman, the son of Sir Alex Young Spearman who was a British treasurer. Unfortunately, Spearman Jr. died at the age of 33 and left his second wife and Charles’s mother Louisa Ann Caroline Amelia Mainwaring a widow. She would marry Henry Harrington in 1870, only for her new husband to die and leave her a widow. Around this time, a 19 year old Charles was about to go into the military

There is very little else known about childhood, however during his adolescence. During his high school years, it was suggested that he was on the school’s rugby and cricket teams. While he was showing some interest in athletics, underneath that Spearman hid an interest for philosophy. However, he would soon lose that interest which would he would enlist himself into the British Army In 1883. Within a year, Charles was placed in the 2nd Battalion in India. In fifteen years, Spearman would serve in the British army and rise to the rank of Captain and it was during his term of military service he gradually begun to believe that studying psychology could perhaps advance philosophy. According to Charles himself, he felt like his time in the army was a “waste of time.” By the end of his time serving in the army in 1898, Charles finally had figured out what he wanted to study: experimental psychology.

Charles would move to Germany and enroll in University of Leipzig. While at Leipzig, he would become William Wundt’s intern. However, Charles was reluctantly called back to serve the British army once more during the South African War. After finally being released again in 1902, Charles would take his new wife Frances Henrietta Priaulux Ail...

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...question the use of hierarchal test proved a general factor of intelligence.

Unfortunately for Spearman, his two factor theory was beginning to dwindle. By the early 30s, his simple theory was begun to be overshadowed in the U.S.A. His factor analysis begun to merge with present day technology and people were beginning to lose interest in that g. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Spearman from trying to obtain his g. To him it would further create laws of psychology. Because of this pursuit, in 1923, Spearman would produce the theory of noegenesis. Noegenesis was his refined two factor theory, which stated that acquiring knowledge was a multistep process.

Spearman would retire from his career at ULC in 1931. Soon after his retirement, he would make several trips to the United States of America. In particular, the first of his trips lead him to Chicago University. There