componential subtheory
a subtheory in the triarchic theory of intelligence that specifies three kinds of information-processing components in human intelligence. The three components are (a) metacomponents, which are used to plan, monitor, and evaluate problem solving and decision making; (b) performance components, which are actually used to solve the problems or make the decisions; and (c) knowledge-acquisition components, which are used to learn how to solve the problems or make the decisions in the first place.