Intelligence

Definitions Intelligence - Mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations Intelligence test – a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores

General Intelligence Charles Spearman – General intelligence (g) – a factor that underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test – He acknowledged that some people have special abilities that stand out Factor Analysis – statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test, the different clusters underlie the total score

Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner – Eight Intelligences – He sees intelligence as multiple abilities in different packages Brain damage may affect one part, but not another Savant Syndrome – condition in which a person with otherwise limited mental ability has an exceptional skill 1.Naturalist 2. Spatial 3. Linguistic 4. Bodily-Kinesthetic 5. Logical-Mathematical6. Intrapersonal 7. Musical 8. Interpersonal

Multiple Intelligences Robert Sternberg – Three Intelligences – Analytical (academic problem solving) intelligence Assessed by traditional intelligence tests Good for predicting school grades, so-so on vocational success – Creative Intelligence Demonstrated by adapting to novel situations and generating novel ideas (many inventions happen this way) – Practical Intelligence Required for everyday tasks Ex. Business exec may score high on test of practical managerial skills

Emotional Intelligence Definition – the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions – Perceiving – recognize emotion in faces, music, stories – Understanding – predict them and they change and blend – Managing – know how to express them in various situations – Using – use them to enable adaptive or creative thinking

Neurologically Measurable? Brain Size – Recent studies reveal a +.33 correlation between brain size and intelligence score (bigger is better) – Ex. Einstein’s brain not notably larger, but his lower parietal lobe (math and spatial processing center) was 15% larger than average

Neurologically Measureable? Brain Function – Brain scans reveal smart people use less energy to solve problems – Many studies show a correlation of +.3 to +.5 between intelligence and speed of taking in perceptual information