Critical Perspectives of Construct of Intelligence

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Jasmin Lucy Atkins
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1 Critical Perspectives of Construct of Intelligence Objectives In this lesson, you will learn to define and understand intelligence and Intelligence Quotient (IQ). measure IQ using the Stanford Binet intelligence scale. define the Triarchic theory of intelligence. understand the three types of intelligence under this theory. Keywords Intelligence Quotient This is a factor which is used to measure intelligence using different tests. Mental Age This is the age at which a child is intellectually performing. Chronological Age The physical age of a person according to the year of birth. Analytical intelligence relates to how a person processes and analyzes information. Creative intelligence relates to the way a person approaches new information or a new task. Practical intelligence relates to how you react to your environment and your ability to adapt to it or change it to suit your needs. What is Intelligence? The standard definition of intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. Several psycologists have classified and defined intelligence in different ways. To summarise a few characteristics based on these theories; Intelligence is Composite of several intellectual skills Ability to adjust to challenging situations Goal directed Ability to carry on abstract thinking Intelligence is not Measure of your performance or grades Related to the ordinary tasks of life Singualar and generic Measure of knowledge acquired What is Intelligence Quotient (IQ)? An intelligence quotient (IQ) is a total score derived from one of several standardized tests designed to assess human intelligence. Alfred Binet was a French psychologist who invented the first practical intelligence test, the Binet-Simon scale.

2 Studies repeatedly show that performance on intelligence tests is correlated with school achievement. On average, children with higher IQ scores do better on standardized achievement tests, have higher school grades, and complete more years of education. How do you measure IQ? Let us now see how the presently used Stanford-Binet intelligence scale was developed to measure IQ. The Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale is an individually administered intelligence test that was revised from the original Binet-Simon Scale by Lewis M. Terman, a psychologist at Stanford University. Here, children are grouped into different age groups. All children in a particular group, for example, ages 2-5 were given a common test. Five factors are incorporated in these tests which are fluid reasoning which means solving unfamiliar problems, knowledge, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial processing which is the ability to make use of mental imagery to solve problems, and working memory. Let us now see an example to calculate IQ using the stanford binet scale. Raja is 7 years old. He gives the Stanford-Binet test for the age group 7-10 years old and clears the test. Based on this data we can now calculate his IQ. IQ is calculated using the formula (Mental Age/Chronological Age)x 100 Here mental age is upper age limit of the group for which raja has passed the test which in this case is 10 years. Chronological age is his actual age which is 7 years here. Therefore, IQ = (Mental Age/Chronological Age)x 100 IQ = (10/7)x 100 = So based on the above formula, Raju s IQ is ~142. This value can be intepreted using the Stanford Binnet Intelligence scale given here. %IMAGE% = iqcategory.png What is the Triarchic theory of intelligence? Robert J. Sternberg, is a prominent figure in the research of human intelligence. Sternberg believes that intelligence does not simply imply high IQ which primarily looks at analytical skills or your ability to acquire knowledge. According to him, intelligence has less to do with success in the classroom and more to do with success in the real world. He refers to the ability to achieve success in life as successful intelligence. According to him successful intelligence is an Ability to figure out what you want to do with your life and to succeed in doing it irrespective of the constraints of the environment you live in. According to Sternberg, people have three types of intelligence and that successfully intelligent people learn to balance the three types of intelligence effectively. Sternberg s three types of intelligence, called the Triarchic Theory, are: Analytical or componential intelligence, Creative or experiential intelligence, Practical or contextual intelligence %IMAGE%= typesofintelligenceintro.png Let us learn about these intelligence in detail. 1. Analytical or componential intelligence - Analytical intelligence relates to how a person processes and analyzes information. This type of intelligence allows a person to process information effectively and think abstractly. Sternberg associated the workings of the analytical mind with 3 components which help you in problem solving. Metacomponents used for decision making Performance components used for perceiving and applying relations Knowledge-acquisition components used For obtaining new information

3 2. Creative or experiential intelligence - Creative intelligence relates to the way a person approaches new information or a new task. This type of intelligence allows a person to come up with new ideas. There are two components of creative intelligence that help you in performing a task creatively: novelty and automation. Novelty concerns how a person reacts the first time they encounter something new. Automation concerns how a person learns to perform repeated tasks automatically. 3. Practical or contextual intelligence - Practical intelligence relates to how you react to your environment and your ability to adapt to it or change it to suit your needs. This type of intelligence allows a person to find practical solutions to real problems. It includes three components that help you think practically. Adaptation - This occurs when one makes a change or prepares oneself in order to better adjust to one s surroundings Selection - This is undertaken when a completely new alternate environment is found to replace the previous one. Shaping - This occurs when one changes their environment to better suit one s needs %IMAGE%= typesofintelligencesummary.png Previous Year Questions 1. Which of the following is not a sign of an intelligent young child? a. One who carries on thinking in an abstract manner. b. One who can adjust oneself in a new environment. c. One who has the ability to cram long essays quickly. d. One who has the ability to communicate fluently and accurately. 2. IQ scores are generally correlated with academic performance. a. perfectly b. highly c. moderately d. least 3. A child of 16 years scores 75 in an IQ test; his mental age will be years. a. 8 b. 14 c. 15 d Intelligence is a. a set of capabilities. b. a singular and generic concept. c. the ability to imitate others. d. a specific ability. 5. Who developed the first intelligence test?

4 a. David Wechsler b. Alfred Binet c. Charles Edward Spearman d. Robert Sternberg 6. This Intelligence theory incorporates the mental processes involved in intelligence (i.e. meta-components) and the varied forms that intelligence can take (i.e. creative intelligence) a. Spearman's 'g' factor theory b. Sternberg's Triarchic theory of intelligence c. Savant's theory of intelligence d. Thurstone's theory of primary mental abilities 7. Which of these does not imply practical intelligence in the Triarchic theory? a. Thinking practically about oneself only b. Choosing an environment in which you can succeed c. Adapting to the environment d. Reshaping the environment 8. Which one of the following is a form of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence? a. Practical Intelligence b. Experimental Intelligence c. Resourceful Intelligence d. Mathematical Intelligence 9. The following three aspects of intelligence are dealt by Sternberg's triarchic theory except a. componential b. social c. experiential d. contextual Check For Understanding 1. State true or false

5 a. Mental age and physical age are the same. b. Mental age and chronological age are different. c. Intelligence is an ability to memorize long essays and concepts easily. d. An intelligent person can adapt to challenging situations. e. Intelligence is goal oriented. f. State true or false g. The triarchic theory of intelligence includes 4 subtheories. h. Analytical intelligence relates to organizing and processing information. 2. Fill in the blanks Summary Intelligence i. Practical intelligence relates to the way a person approaches new information or a new task. j. Creative intelligence relates to how you react to your environment and your ability to adapt to it or change it to suit your needs. a. Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply... and... b.... is presently used as an intelligence scale to measure IQ. c. According to the stanford-binet intelligence scale, IQ is measure as (.../...)x100. d. An IQ above 140 is considered... e. Componential intelligence is assocaited with... intelligence. f.... intelligence is also called creative intelligence. g. Contextual intelligence is also called... intelligence. h. Triarchic theory of intelligence was formulted by... Composite of several intellectual skills Ability to adjust to challenging situations Goal directed Ability to carry on abstract thinking Inteligence quotient Measure of a person's cognitive capacity relative to his or her peers IQ = (Mental Age/Chronological Age)x 100 Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale Measures fluid reasoning, knowledge, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial processing, working memory Triarchic theory of intelligence was formulated by Robert Sternberg. Intelligence is how well an individual deals with environmental changes throughout their lifespan. Analytical intelligence relates to how a person processes and analyzes information.

6 Creative intelligence relates to the way a person approaches new information or a new task. PageBreak Practical intelligence relates to how you react to your environment and your ability to adapt to it or change it to suit your needs. Answers - Previous Year Questions c. Ability to cram long essays without the knowledge to apply it is not considered as a trait for intelligence. b. IQ scores are generally highly correlated with academic performance. d. A child of 16 years scores 75 in an IQ test; his mental age will be 12 years. a. Intelligence is a set of capabilities. b. Alfred Binet developed the first inelligence test. Answers - Check for understanding 1. True or False a. False b. True c. False d. True e. True f. False g. True h. False i. False 2. Fill in the blanks a. knowledge and skills b. Stanford-Binet scale c. (Mental age/chronological age)x100 d. gifted e. analytical intelligence f. experiential g. practical h. Robert J Sternberg

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