23 Intelligence (chapter 10) Flashcards
- Intelligence in historical perspective - The nature of intelligence
The definitions of intelligence
western general def: skilled at using minds, not hands/body
general def:
1. ability to acquire knowledge
2. to think + reason effectively
3. adaptability (appliance) to environment
historical categorisation of intelligence
social class more important that ability, both practically supported and socially supported:
Francis Galton - 19th century: scientifically reasoned that people of the same bloodline would inherit ‘mental constitutions’ - successful fathers had successful sons
- did not acknowledge social environment as cause rather than gene
historical means of intelligence - Francis Galton
social class more important that ability, both practically supported and socially supported:
Francis Galton - 19th century: scientifically reasoned that people of the same bloodline would inherit ‘mental constitutions’ - successful fathers had successful sons
- did not acknowledge social environment as cause rather than gene
- primitive means of measuring intelligence: size of head, reaction times (nerves)
Alfred Binets, 2 theoreries + limitations
Alfred Binet: besinning of modern intelligence measuring by combining multiple diff skills/abilities
- mental age: used age as a quota for expected ability, ma = skill level
- IQ - ratio of mental age: chronologic (actual) age x 100 = figure for ability compared to others their age
limitations:
- only applicable to children - young adults - development of intelligence plateaus at older age
2 major approaches to nature of intelligence
Psychometric Approach: focus on individual differences/ strengths, the different types of intelligence
Cognitive Processes Approach: focus on explanation for the differences in individual intelligence/ areas
models of Psychometric Approach
- g factor/7primary abilities/3 stratas?
- are these individual forms of intelligence independent? - language+math/problem solving?
Spearman’s (1923) g factor
g = general ability - good at everything (core intelligence)
- the only way people are better at certain things is them having an interest or better support
Thurston’s (1938) primary mental abilities (intelligence model)
used 56 diff tests to test different forms of intellignce - found 7 clusters in skills = 7 diff forms of intelligence:
- Space: spatial visualisation
- Verbal Comprehension: understanding sentences
- Word fluency: making sentences
- Number facility: numbers
- Perceptual speed: seeing visual patterns
- Rote memory: memorisation
- Reasoning: problem solving
Contradicts Spearman’s singular g factor (based off innate skill/exposure), Thurston targets specifically training up weaknesses
Horn+Cattell’s Crystallised vs Fluid Intelligence model
Intelligence is neither 1 singular g factor or many different strains, instead comprised of 2 types of g:
Crystallised Intelligence: Ability to apply previously learnt knowledge to current situations (long term memory, vocal tests, exams)
- is culturally bound - you just recall the cultural norms you’ve learnt - culturally practiced problems
- improves into adulthood - continue learning/acquiring knowledge, declines in old age (memory loss)
Fluid Intelligence: innate intelligence, adaptability to new scenarios/ problem solving (abstract thinking, pattern spotting, working (st/visual) memory
- remains steady throughout life, declines over lime as less used (fewer novel situations)
Carrol’s 3 Stratum Model 1935-1980
meta review to combine/categorise diff intelligence models:
General: g factor
Broad: crystallised vs fluid + 6 other basic cog functions (like Thurston)
Narrow: 70 specific cog abilities (specific tools for specific situations)
Cognitive Approaches
Cognitive process theory:
Sternberg’s Triarchic theory of intelligence
Sternberg’s Triarchic theory
3 cognitive processes:
Metacomponents: ability to devise an action plan (fluid)
Perfomance Components: decision of which skills to use to solve problem in plan
Knowledge acquisition components: learning+retrieving information from/to new scenario (crystallised)
Sternberg’s 3 classes of adaptive reasoning
Analytical Intelligence: academic info, typical
Practical Intelligence: dealing with everyday demands, managing others+self
Creative Intelligence: mental skills for novel situations
Gardener’s 1983 broader concepts of intelligence
8 types of intelligence (‘adaptive abilities’)
- different intellectual skills localised to diff areas in brain = why diff people excel in diff areas (diff Brian development/practice)
4 types of intelligence:
- Linguistic: writers/speakers
- Logical-Mathematical
- Visuospatial - artists/mechanics
- Musical - devise and understand pitch + music
- Body kinaesthetic - physical control
- Interpersonal - understand others
- Intrapersonal - self/ spiritual
- Naturalistic - understand the natural world
- more holistic approach, accommodates other cultures’ definitions, but criticised for confusing intelligence with talents/abilities - contrived def of intelligence
- more applicable/adaptable to different cultures: different living conditions require different forms of intelligence to survive best, eg. academics (western) vs fishing/running
4 Branches of Emotional Intelligence
similar to Gardener’s intra/interpersonal intelligence
The ability to interpret+respond to other’s
intentions/emotions accurately, self motivation/control/ emotional discipline
- Perceiving emotions - recognise
- Using emotions to facilitate thought - reason wants
- Managing emotions - self/other modulation
- Understanding emotions - distinguish/intensity
may be more important in contentless/ emotional wellbeing in life - more happy = live longer
(unclear causality maybe higher IQ allows to understand depressing truth) - can you have both high IQ+EI, are they as happy as people with same EI, lower IQ?
