Intelligence Review
What is intelligence? Let me guess: you know what it is but can’t define it. Many have tried to define it and measure it with miserable success. Intelligence is the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.
The most famous attempt to define intelligence is the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Quotient test. Alfred Binet (French guy) devised a test to test if a child knows what they should at a certain age. He designed the test to help children get the help they need, not label them. This test, combined with efforts from StanfordUniversity, became the IQ test. The IQ test measures the percentage of one’s mental age of one’s actual age. If you have a mental age of 12 but you are only 8 years old then you have an IQ of 150. 12/8 *100 = 150. A score of 100 is average intelligence. The Stanford–Binet test is not designed for adults and was never intended to measure general adult intelligence. Today, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is the more respected intelligence test today for ages 6-16.
Before we talk about the different types of intelligence, is there a general, all encompassing “intelligence”? We’ll a British psychologist named Spearman thought we had a general overall intelligence called g factor. G is for general intelligence. He used factor analysis, a statistical technique for establishing a correlation between many, many variables. Basically, he found that people who scored well on one intelligence test did well on other intelligence tests, thus they had high general intelligence.
However, a guy named Gardner came along and said there is no g factor; we have multiple intelligences. His theory of multiple intelligences says we have 8 different intelligences that are valued in all cultures. Visual-spatial intelligence enables you to parallel park or play 3D video games. Verbal-linguistic intelligence is your ability to use words like “cognitive” or “explicate” with ease. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence helps you to play sports or build a wooden deck. Logical-mathematical intelligence will help you pass your math tests or law school admissions exams. Interpersonal intelligence is your ability to read other people and effectively interact with them, including reading faces or knowing when to shut your mouth. Intrapersonal intelligence is your ability to know yourself. What would you do in certain situations? What do you want in life? Musical intelligence is your ability to recognize or replicate a song. Naturalistic intelligence refers to your ability to understand nature like weather or predict the behavior of an animal.
Howard Gardner came up with his idea when studying savants, people who are extremely talented in one area but dysfunctional in almost every aspect of their lives. You might remember Steven Wiltshire who can draw an entire cityscape from memory, but his autism screws him up in every other way.
Robert Sternberg came along recently and tried to simplify Gardner. His triarchic theoryof intelligence says we only have 3 types: practical, analytical and creative. Robert Sternberg must have a fetish for triangles because he is also famous for his triangular theory of love (in social psychology chapter).
So, if you buy that we have many different types of intelligence, then what good is the IQ test? Well, since it measures only mathematical and logical intelligence of children then it’s not much good to us. Some say the EQ is more important, that is emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman published his best seller Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ in 1995.
Are intelligence tests reliable and/or valid? A reliable test or experiment is one that can be replicated with the same results over and over again. The 8th grade TAKS is reliable because if I give a similar test to the same group again, the results will be about the same. If you take an IQ test and you get the same IQ again, then that test is reliable. However, is the test valid? Validity is when the test measures what it is supposed to measure. Does the 8th grade math TAKS measure 8th grade math or 10th grade reading ability? If the latter, then the 8th grade math TAKS is invalid. If the Stanford-Benet measures only linguistic or mathematical intelligence then its attempt to measure general intelligence is invalid because it certainly doesn’t measure musical intelligence or emotional intelligence.
What are standardized tests? If a test is standardized, it has to be given to a random sample of the population (like students) and the results have to form a standard bell curve. A standard bell curve is when 95% of test takers fall within 2 standard deviations of the mean, while 68% fall within one standard deviation of the mean.
What is the Flynn effect? The Flynn effect of testing is the tendency for test scores to rise over the years. IQ scores are up and so are TAKS. It’s a mystery why, but many suspect that flaws in the test in earlier version have been eliminated. Others suspect that IQs are up because of improved education and nutrition.
Does our intelligence grow? Maybe, but studies show that our fluid intelligence, that is, our ability to learn new things, declines as we age. However, ourcrystallized intelligence grows. Crystallized intelligence is our ability to relate new information to past experience. So old people know what they are talking about when they say politics as usual. However, they still won’t text us what they think.