Week 9 Intelligence & Creativity

Intelligence  An inferred characteristic of an individual, usually defined as the ability to profit from experience, acquire knowledge, think abstractly, act purposefully, or adapt to changes in the environment.

Principles of Psychological Tests Reliability Validity Standardizations and norms Categories and Characteristics of Exceptional Individuals Savant syndrome – condition of a mentally retarded individual who displays exceptional ability in a given area. Ex. Rainman

Intelligence: Genes and Individual Differences Intelligence Quotient (IQ)  A measure of intelligences originally computed by dividing a person’s mental age by his or her chronological age and multiplying the result by 100.  It is now derived from norms provided for standard intelligence tests. The kind of intelligence that produces high IQ scores is highly heritable. .50 for children and adolescents  for adults.

The Psychometric Approach IQ scores are distributed “normally”  Bell-shaped curve Very high and low scores are rare 68% of people have IQ between  99.7% between

Question Can IQ Tests be Culture Free?

Attempts to make IQ tests culture fair and culture free have backfired because different cultures have different problem- solving strategies. Cultural values and experiences affect a person’s:  Attitude toward exams,  Comfort in the settings required for testing,  Motivation  Rapport with test provider,  Competitiveness, and  Ease of independent problem solving.

Twins and Intelligence Intelligence scores of identical twins are always more highly correlated than those of fraternal twins. The scores of adopted children are highly correlated with their biological parents.

The Environment and Intelligence. Experiences that hinder intellectual performance.  Poor prenatal care.  Malnutrition.  Exposure to toxins.  Stressful family circumstances. Experiences that help intellectual performance.  Good health care and nutrition  Mental enrichment in home and child care or school.

Intellectual Changes Over the Lifespan Some intellectual abilities dwindle with age. Numerical and verbal abilities remain relatively steady over the years.

Domains of Intelligence Daniel Goleman Social Intelligence Highly evolved social intelligence and ability to interact in social situations Emotional intelligence The ability to: identify your own and other people’s emotions accurately, express your emotions clearly, and regulate emotions in yourself and others.

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences Verbal/linguistic Musical Logical/Mathematical Visual/Spatial Movement or Bodily Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intelligence Intrapersonal Intelligence Existential Naturalist

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING What is creative problem solving?

Some Thoughts The creative person uses information to form new ideas. The real key to creative problem solving is what you do with the knowledge. Creative problem solving requires an attitude that allows you to search for new ideas and use your knowledge and experience. Change perspective and use knowledge to make the ordinary extraordinary and the usual commonplace.

DEFINITION “Creative problem solving is - looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different.” Adapted from a famous quote from a former Nobel prize winner, Albert Szent-Gyorgi.

Question How are you creative in your daily life? Give an example using your understanding of the definition of creativity.

Question What are the barriers that get in the way of our creativity?

BARRIERS THAT GET IN OUR WAY Time Why change? Usually don’t need to be creative Habit Routine Haven’t been taught to be creative What are some other barriers that get in our way?

BEING MORE CREATIVE How can we be more creative? Jot down at least 3 ideas that come to your mind.

TOOLS & TECHNIQUES BRAINSTORMING Purpose: To generate a large number of ideas in a short period of time.

BRAINSTORMING Rules for Brainstorming:  The more ideas the better!  No discussion  No idea is a bad idea  Build on one another’s ideas  Display all ideas

MIND MAPPING Definition : A visual picture of a group of ideas, concepts or issues. Purpose :  Unblock our thinking.  See an entire idea or several ideas on one sheet of paper.  See how ideas relate to one another.  Look at things in a new and different way.  Look at an idea in depth.

Mind Mapping Exercise Over-sized blank sheet of paper. Select word, phrase or problem statement to serve as a focus for discussion. Print it in the middle of the paper. Enclose it in a box or oval. Let a word pop out of your mind. Print it anywhere on the paper. Underline it and connect the line with the problem statement (or key phrase or word) you are working. Record the next idea and connect it to original focus point or the prior thought. Continue printing and connecting words. 1. Initial Tumble of Ideas. Think freely!! Motivating Members Methods How

Mind Mapping Exercise EXAMPLE Resources People Motivating Members Helping Others Purpose Learning Results Fun Methods How

Question Adults are often less creative than children. Why do you think this is, and what are the ramifications of losing access to our creative abilities?

Question How can we encourage our clients to develop their creativity? What would be the benefit to them?

Wrap Up Are there any questions that I missed or any other questions or comments this evening? I wish you all the best!