Information processing theories of intelligence offer a potentially rich yet generally unexplored theoretical forum for conceptualizing and investigating learning disabilities. The purpose of this article is to advance our understanding of the nature of specific learning disabilities by using Sternberg's (1985) triarchic theory of human intelligence as a framework for expanding the componential-deficit approach. Specifically, deficient cognitive strategies and inadequate knowledge in certain domains may result from learning disabled individuals' inability to (a) selectively encode, compare, and combine information, or (b) automatize information processing. In addition, this article emphasizes the importance of the experiential, contextual, and motivational history of the learning disabled individual in understanding his or her componential deficits.
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