Module 29: intelligence Flashcards
intelligence tests
series of questions and other exercises which attempt to assess people’s mental abilities in a way that generates a numerical score, so that one person can be compared to antoher
intelligence in terms of test
can be defined as whatever intelligence tests measure
– college entrance test measures how good you are at scoring well on that test
intelligence
be it math ability or understanding of plants
LEARN SOLVE ADAPT
the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations
general intelligence (g)
people who do well in one area of skills do well in another, have high “g”
- Charles Spearman
factor analysis
a statistical technique that determines how different variables related to each other; for example whether they form clusters that tend to vary together
Thurstone’s 7 clusters of abilites
he disagreed with general measure and trait of overall intelligence
1) verbal comprehension
2) inductive reasoning
3) word fluency
4) spatial ability
5) memory
6) perceptual speed
7) numerical ability
however, further analysis showed that people who were strong in one cluster tended to be strong in other clusters (like general)
savant syndrome
having isolated “islands” of high ability amidsts a sea of below-average cognitive and social functioning
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
different people have intelligence/ability in different areas but there may be a correlation among these intelligences
- linguistic
- logical-mathematical
- musical
- spatial
- bodily-kinetic
- intrapersonal
- interpersonal
- naturalist
intelligence and wealth
- wealth tends to be related to intelligence test scores PLUS
- focused effort (practice), taking 10+ years to achieve success-level expertise
- social support and connections
- hard work and energetic persistence (grit)
Sternberg’s intelligence triarchy
practical, analytical, creative
practical intelligence
expertise and talent that help to complete the tasks and manage the complex challenges of everyday life
analytical intelligence
solving a well-defined problem with a single answer
creative intelligence
generating new ideas to help adapt to novel situations
spearman’s general intelligence (g) summary and faults
“a basic intelligence predicts our abilities in varied academic areas”
- humans are too diverse to be encapsulated by a single general intelligence factor
Thurstone’s primary mental abilities; summary and faults
“our intelligence may be broken down into 7 factors”
- even his 7 mental abilities show a tendency to cluster, suggesting an underlying g factor
Gardner’s multiple intelligences
“our abilities are best classified into 8 indept. intelligences, which include a broad range of skills beyond traditional school smarts”
- should all of our abilities be considered “intelligences”? shouldn’t some be called less vital “talents”?
creativity
ability to produce ideas that are novel and valuable
convergent thinking
left-brain activity involving zeroing in on a single correct answer
divergent thinking
used in creative thought
ability to generate new ideas, new actions, and multiple options and answers
Sternberg’s 5 components of creativity
1) creative environment
2) intrinsic motivation
3) venturesome personality
4) imaginative thinking
5) expertise
Sternberg’s 5 components of creativity: creative environment
having support, feedback, encouragement, and time and space to think
Sternberg’s 5 components of creativity: intrinsic motivation
enjoying the pursuit of interests and challenge, without needing external direction or rewards
Sternberg’s 5 components of creativity: venturesome personality
tending to seek out new experiences despite risk, ambiguity, and obstacles
Sternberg’s 5 components of creativity: imaginative thinking
having the ability to see new perspectives, combinations, and connections
Sternberg’s 5 components of creativity: expertise
possessing a well-developed base of knowledge
boosting creativity
- pursue an interest until you develop expertise
- allow time for incubation (sleep on it) with your attention away from projects, during which unconscious connections can form
- improve mental flexibility by experiencing other cultures and ways of thinking
social intelligence
ability to navigate social situations
emotional intelligence
processing and managing the emotional component of those social situations, including one’s own emotions
components of emotional intelligence
1) perceiving emotions (recognizing them)
2) understanding emotions (being able to see blended emotions, predict them and changes in self and others)
3) managing emotions (in various situations)
4) using emotions (as fuel and motivation for creative, adaptive thinking)
benefits of emotional intelligence
- ability to delay gratification while pursuing long-term goals
- level of emotional intelligence (including reading others’ emotions) correlates with success in career and other social situations
physical attributes of “genius”
- overall brain size
- size of brain regions like parietal lobe
- high brain activity in the frontal and parietal lobes
- extra gray matter volume (more brain cell bodies, seen as more brain surface area/convolutions)
- extra white matter volume (axons) leading to high connectivity among different regions
intelligence and brain functioning
- activity of the front part of the frontal lobes to organize and coordinate info
- using less energy to solve problems than the brains of “normal” people
intelligence and processing speed
verbal and general intelligence test scores correlate with speed of:
- retrieving info from memory
- receiving and processing sensory and perceptual info
