Human Intelligence 3 26 14 Wednesday March 26 2014 7 04 PM Human Intelligence I Francis Gaulton first person to objectively study intelligence in late 1800s a b 1920s conference hosted by journal or psychology to define intelligence ended badly 1986 tried again same result no workable definition 1 2 3 1 2 I Most conceptions of intelligence include Problem solving Learning quicker greater efficiency breadth and depth Reasoning I Working definition of intelligence from 1994 The Bell Curve Intelligence is a very general mental capacity which among other things involves the ability to reason plan solve problems think abstractly comprehend complex ideas learn quickly and learn from experience It is not merely book learning a narrow academic skill or test taking smarts Rather it reflects a broader and deeper capability for comprehending our surroundings catching on making sense of things or figuring out what to do Field of intelligence always looking at individual differences i Why are we different I Charles Spearman 1883 1945 1 2 Had teachers rank each child in terms of where they fit in different subjects 1 26 French math classics music English Administered a pitch discrimination test sensory discrimination test 3 Took these 6 variables and correlated them Moderate to strong positive correlation for all variables lowest as 40 between math and pitch 4 Spearman developed a statistical procedure called Factor Analysis i ii Reduces large numbers of correlations Find common factors in all correlations 1 In factor Analysis of the student study there was a single factor underlying relationships General Intelligence g 5 Theorized that i ii G drives everything we do from a cognitive perspective Highly controversial since 1904 Publication of study 6 Issues bias of teacher However objective cognitive tests seems to positively correlate together usually 7 Positive manifold cognitive abilities tend to be positively correlated If we say that intelligence is not separate independent connections and abilities we say that intelligence is some general force I Howard Gardner 1983 Multiple Intelligences a Original theory There are 7 independent equally important intelligences Linguistic intelligence ex William Shakespeare Logical Mathematical Intelligence ex Isaac Newton Spatial Intelligence visual spatial skills shape form 3D artists ex Tetris ex Michaelangelo Musical Intelligence ex Mozart Bodily kinesthetic Intelligence ability to use ones body effectively Psychology Page 1 i i i i 1 2 3 4 5 5 Bodily kinesthetic Intelligence ability to use ones body effectively 1 Not strength speed but how effectively you can use your body down to detailed delicate tasks Cognitive ability 6 7 Interpersonal Intelligence ability to understand read people Intrapersonal Intelligence ability to understand yourself introspection ex Freud 1 Completely unrelated to each other a Spearman saw the brain as a sonic screwdriver Gardner saw the brain as a Swiss Army knife 2 Not one of these are more important than any other for humans b How do you measure these 1 2 Most IQ tests measure them to some degree Other 4 are harder to measure 1 Gardner believes tests are artificial and could never measure things accurately like judging batting practice instead of a real game 3 4 Critics of Gardner assert that not all intelligences are equal not all low intelligences are impairing to the point of handicapping Someone who is degrading in athletic ability would be said by Gardner to be declining in cognitive intelligence bodily kinesthetic intelligence II Spearman camp tends to dismiss final 4 forms of Gardner s forms of intelligence as forms of intelligence and the final two are classified as personality traits a Spearman and Gardner s theories are not usually combined Note creating an Intrapersonal intelligence test could be pretty Easy such as surveying one person in depth on their levels of understanding and descriptions of themselves compared to people who know them very well including close family and partners Perhaps also acquaintances and initial appearances Psychology Page 2