Intelligence

Some researchers such as Charles Spearman have proposed that intelligence is a single quantity or concept, but others such as Robert Sternberg assert that intelligence really consists of a set of relatively independent abilities. While there is much debate over the validity of the two theories, the exploration of academic and everyday intelligence indicates that intelligence has many dimensions.

According to Spearman's theory of intelligence, the performance of any intellectual act requires some combination of "g," a general intellectual ability which is available to the same individual to the same degree for all intellectual acts, and of "specific factors" or "s" which are specific to that act and which varies in strength from one act to another (Charles Spearman, Human Intelligence). Spearman concludes that the most important information to determine a person's intellectual ability is an estimate of their "g" because it pervades all tasks.

In sharp contrast to Spearman's theory of intelligence, Sternberg defines intelligence as "the cognitive ability to learn from experience, to reason well, to remember important information, and to cope with the demands of daily living." (Sternberg, 1988). He believes intelligence is comprised of not one, but three distinct abilities, analytical, creative, and practical. Analytical ability involves manipulating the elements of a problem or the relationship among the elements. Creative ability uses thinking about a problem and its elements in a new way and practical ability applies what we already know to everyday contexts.

The two very different lists for academic and everyday intelligence support multiple levels of intelligence such as those developed by Sternberg. For example, there's more analytical capabilities present in academic intelligence such as logic, qualitative and quantitative reasoning, problem solving and insight. But, creative and practical ability come more into play for everyday intelligence with behavior such as common sense, intuition, learning from mistakes, creativity and risk aversion. Perhaps rather than focusing on the definition of intelligence, researchers need to pay more attention to the application of intelligence to more fully understand its components.

Academic Intelligence

Hard work

Study

Memorization

Logic

Qualitative reasoning

Quantitative reasoning

Reading

Problem solving

Focus

Insight

Everyday Intelligence

Common sense

Social skills

Communication

Intuition

Creativity

Learning from mistakes

Risk aversion

Conflict resolution

Empathy

Bibliography

Charles Spearman. Human Intelligence. Retrieved January 24, 2005 from Indiana University Web site: http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/spearman.shtml

Sternberg, R. (1988). The triarchic mind: A new theory of human intelligence. New York: Viking.