What do you believe "intelligence" is? How would you define it?
-Is it mutli-faceted, as proposed by Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences?
-Is it incremental (capable of being developed) or fixed?
-Is it dynamic in that it varies from situation to situation?
-Considering the powerful impact of emotion on performance, could one go as far as to characterize intelligence as state rather than a trait? Certainly traits can change over time, even disappear all together… Given this, what exactly distinguishes a trait from a state?
-Would you include a motivational component the definition of intelligence?
-Is it a characteristic of an individual? Or, as an extension of Vygotsky, could we consider intelligence as a quality of a social group?
-Could intelligence be different in different situations (i.e. social in certain context while individual in others, or incremental in certain domains while more greatly fixed in others)?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
All the best,
Christina
This is quite a topic to start off with as a new member of the forum, so I will begin with my ideas on just one aspect of the question, motivation and intelligence.
It seems to me it is impossible to separate the two. Our assessment of an individuals intelligence is based on their observed performance. The more motivated someone is, the better their performance is likely to be.
As an example, a subject given an intelligence test* where they receive increasing or decreasing rewards based on their score would almost certainly perform at a much higher level than the same subject forced to take the test against their will.
Virtually all teachers face this question in the classroom, motivated vs. unmotivated students. Is the higher performing student actually more intelligent, or more motivated? How do we motivate students so they maximize their ability?
I’ll add my own question here:
Can brain study provide teachers with useful tools to help learners with motivation, and not be just an intellectual exercise for those of us on the teaching side of the table?
Kelly, Intermediate Multi-age classroom teacher
* I am not necessarily referring to “IQ†test, and realize that the term “intelligence test†is a hot button for many.
Hi Kelly,
Welcome to the forum!
Thank you very much for your response. It is extremely interesting that you consider intelligence and motivation to be inextricably linked.
As for you question regarding the brain and motivation, there is currently quite a bit of research focused on identifying the underlying neural substrate of motivation, and investigating relatively simple cases of motivation, such as conditioning. I believe that a study of the brain will uncover quite a bit about the nature of motivation, but the work here is just beginning to be underway. It is an exciting new area of work!
All the best,
Christina
Hi Christina, This is such a good question. As a matter of fact I looked at this for a few days before starting, yes starting, to answer this question. First I need to lay a foundation and I think this will give us a little start. My idea of intelligence is 'wild' so lets start with this neat url I found on the internet January 15, 2006. Just a hint...my idea of intelligence includes learning dispositions and of all things self-efficacy [Bandura]...Don't laugh just yet....it may take a year or two to really answer this question....
Best,
Rob
URL:
http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/
Morning
2-05-06
I was reviewing some literature regarding who's who in intelligence....and gleaning some of their thoughts..thought you might be interested. Retrieved URL 2-05-06 from the internet.
Rob
URL:
http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/periodIndex.shtml
segarama Wrote:URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/emerging.shtml
Good morning
,
We are so ensconced with a ready definition for intelligence that is very difficult to think 'outside the box' with this subject. But lets give it a try. When we think of intelligence, do we think of high, medium or low potential? .....or .....do we think of a task to be completed when we refer to intelligence...It will get done.....It should get done....or chances are the task will not get done. The later is based on self-efficacy[Bandura]. Does intelligence measure natural ability? It does measure possible potential in somethings especially things taught in schools. Is a person rewarded for a high IQ test score and berated for a low IQ test score....of course they are....IQ excluse male and female club...you bet. Can they all accomplish the task set out for them...not really.
Think about it.......Does intelligence have any place in the measurement of getting the task accomplished no matter how big or how small....or is this not any part of a definition of intelligence.
What is intelligence?
Best,
Rob
First of all i would like to say is been very interesting reading on.
One thing that has help me define in answering some important questions in life is asking why insted of what, so here are some thoughts
Why do we need intelligence, one reason might be to survive, so the next question is are animals, trees or insects inteligent or perhaps is because the way they evolve they need less inteligence to survive.
Lets see how much time does an insect needs its mother / father to survive, and then we look at us and see how much dependent we are on our parentes, to keep alive.
So maybe Intelligence is a way to survive and is directly propotional to the inability to survive on our own
To borrow Rob's quote from Goethe:
Things
which matter
most must never
be at the mercy of
things which matter least.
-Goethe-
Can you think of a better definition of intelligence?
What sort of Society would exist if this was the basic measure of intelligence?
Geoff.
The only clear observation i can make is, that human progress can not be made without combined inteligence.
how many brains have been involved to creat this facility.
an observation made by an inteligant man
I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy.
Richard P. Feynman
Thanks very much for your insights.
Intelligence as adaptation seems like a plausible definition. This implies that intelligence is necessarily context-bound. That it, it must be defined in context as what is intelligent behavior will vary from situation to situation. You both touched upon this idea. Do you think most educators would agree with this?
Combined intelligence is another important idea. Certainly, what we are capable of is enabled by cumulative cultural evolution, or “standing on the shoulders of giants.†Then, should this also be considered a component of intelligence?
All the best,
Christina
March 5, 2005
Morning
,
Actually intelligence will finally be determined by mankind....I believe that intelligence cannot be limited to just IQ...I also believe that MI is not totally the answer, but better that IQ.....I guess I believe that intelligence is unique to a given individual....Everyone is really good at something....
Best,
Rob
Shaw and colleagues have investigated whether there is a relationship between IQ score and physical dimensions of the brain:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...02182.html
A caution with this article: Does IQ score reflect intelligence?
The original research is published in the March issue of Nature (Volume 440, pp. 619-620).
All the best,
Christina
April 4, 2006
Good Afternoon,
If we find that the larger brained individuals have some correlation to a higher intelligence then what do we have that can better mankind? The frontal shelf of the prefrontal cortex has also been delineated has the possibility of a sign of high intelligence. But to what end will this information help.
I suggest that a new intelligence be espoused that does not measure the potential of the smarts a person has, but indeed measures the ability to perform given tasks....
Bandura[Stanford] touches on this with "self efficacy"...and Ron Ritchhart touches on this in his book.
Intellectural Character: What It Is, What It Matters, and How to get it.
When we hire people for special jobs or tasks, we do not usually give them an IQ test or measure their heads. We find out if they can do the job and if that fails due to the individual being callow, then we sort out his dispositional acumen.
Best,
Rob
Hi Rob, thanks for bringing up self-efficacy. For those who are not familiar with the concept, self-efficacy involves a person's beliefs about their abilities in a certain domain. It can have powerful affects on achievement. Research in this area underscores the importance of nurturing academic confidence.
Best,
Christina