What is Intelligence?

[Seven]

A number of the posts in this thread (including my first reply) I think are emphasizing the common definition of intelligence such as would be used to "track" students in an academic setting. I have been reading more on Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theories this afternoon, and they really impress me

I think you have a good point. A person's brain can become extremely good at a particular process, say math, but it's at the expense of other abilities, say social skills. Some savants can 'see' the answers to math problems instinctively in much the same way that regular people can intuitively handle social situations which are actually quiet complex.

So maybe high intelligence is just the ability to focus ones brain power in a different direction to most people.

 

[Reverend Rick]

Finally! A definition of intelligence we can all get behind!

Don't forget my frubals Phil.

 

[MindHunter]

I think intelligence is a general idea for one's amount to learn, their memory, problem-solving, etc... . For this, I use 3 main psychologists:

1) Dr. Gardner: He proposed a variety of intelligences: musical, spatial reasoning, mathematical, naturalistc, intrapersonal, verbal, interpersonal, body-kinesthetic, spiritual, moral, and existential intelligences (the last 3 generally aren't talked about as much). (wiki)
2) Dr. Louis Leon Thurstone: He made the law of comparative judgement, and used 7 main traits for intelligence and its testing: verbal comprehension, word fluency, number facility, spatial visualization, associative memory, perceptual speed and reasoning. (wiki)

I don't think that saying it's based solely off of mathematical ability or such is accurate because take savants: they undergo some brain damage and are now amazing at one thing. Let's say, it's music. Perhaps before they were brilliant at math but now they can hardly pass Grade 8 mathematics. Does it seem fair to call them stupid based on their poor mathematical ability, while their musical ability is off the charts?
3) Sigmund Freud: I'm not the biggest fan of psychoanalysis, however, the man does provide a unique way of looking at something, and it would be foolish to say he has contributed nothing to psychology. Freud hypothesized of an id, ego and super-ego (I won't bore you all with this). To put it simply, the id uses the pleasure principle, ego uses reality principle and super-ego uses morality principle, and of course, each experience different types of anxiety. The ego is generally the one that is the busiest (and psychodynamic treatments sometimes focus on the ego using ego analysis), and of course, any reasoanble person would say that the ego needs intelligence. Then again, so does the super-ego using the morality principle, hence, moral intelligence (relating back to Dr.Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences).

I don't think there's really an easy, quick and simple way to say what intelligence is. I personally go with Dr.Gardner and Dr.Thurstone for defining intelligence. It's sort of a beat-around-the-bus type of answer, however, it's either that or a quick, simple one that ignores certain types or includes too many types of intelligences, hence, why I.Q. tests aren't really the best.

Also, there's crystallized and fluid intelligences; fluid is the decision-making when in a new environment, and crystallized is what you've learnt. This is one reason why I think saying intelligence is based only on decision-making is inadequate because you instantly imply that what you've learnt is more or less meaningless, after all, you don't use everything you've learnt in decision-making. Thus, basing it only on decision-making can make one's intelligence seem far lower/higher than it really is.

EDIT: I put (wiki) because I cannot post URLs yet, so just search it in wikipedia.

 

[jrbogie]

What is intelligence? It is a measure of ones ability to understand something? Is it a measure of ones ability to adapt to ones environment? Is it a measure of ones ability to learn from experience? Is it a measure of ones ability to deal with cognitive complexity? Or is it something else? How would you yourself describe it?

none of the above. true intelligence is the recognition that nothing can ever be really known. that for every answer we uncover in our search for knowledge we uncover new questions that simply increase the complexity of the puzzle. when we develope "faith" and "believe" in a concept as absolute fact we cease to look for alternatives. by remaining "agnostic" relative to all issues, the search will never end. that is intelligence as i view it.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I've always thought of the primary, fundamental components of intelligence as:

1) Pattern Recognition
2) Memory (efficiency and accuracy)
3) Visualization

 

[MindHunter]

I've always thought of the primary, fundamental components of intelligence as:

1) Pattern Recognition
2) Memory (efficiency and accuracy)
3) Visualization

Pattern recognition as in seeing a visual pattern, such as lines or shapes, or an abstract or mathematical pattern? The visual pattern recognition can be done with people of all intelligences, as it requires the visual cortex and some frontal cortex. Memory, I do believe that is part of intelligence. I'm confused what you mean by visualization. Do you mean imagining or simply seeing?

 

[rojse]

What is intelligence?

A rare commodity that should be highly appreciated.

 

[methylatedghosts]

What is intelligence? It is a measure of ones ability to understand something? Is it a measure of ones ability to adapt to ones environment? Is it a measure of ones ability to learn from experience? Is it a measure of ones ability to deal with cognitive complexity? Or is it something else? How would you yourself describe it?

I'm pretty sure it's got a fair bit to do with common sense

 

[MindHunter]

I'm pretty sure it's got a fair bit to do with common sense

"Common sense" is very ambiguous and highly subjective. What may be common sense for one person can differ for another, especially cross-culturally.

 

[blackout]

or that those who are musically intelligent may not be able to navigate their way to the concert venue without a GPS.

and THAT... would be me.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Pattern recognition as in seeing a visual pattern, such as lines or shapes, or an abstract or mathematical pattern?

Much more broad - all patterns, all senses - it defines how quickly and accurately we are able to observe, interpret, and make predictions about all aspects of the world around us. It is the core of intelligence.

 

[michel]

What is intelligence? It is a measure of ones ability to understand something? Is it a measure of ones ability to adapt to ones environment? Is it a measure of ones ability to learn from experience? Is it a measure of ones ability to deal with cognitive complexity? Or is it something else? How would you yourself describe it?

Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to add tomato to a fruit salad....

Seriously, intelligence (I believe) is an innate ability to learn, to use cognition to manipulate events and relate what we have seen before, adapt it, and use it to deal with another event.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

What is intelligence?

While hard to define, most people would agree that TVOR is the pluperfect embodiment of the concept.

 

[chinu]

What is intelligence?

Desire of refusing afterwards.

_/\_
Chinu

 

[Alex_G]

What is intelligence? It is a measure of ones ability to understand something? Is it a measure of ones ability to adapt to ones environment? Is it a measure of ones ability to learn from experience? Is it a measure of ones ability to deal with cognitive complexity? Or is it something else? How would you yourself describe it?

[FONT=&quot]A question faced by Alfred Binet in France at the beginning of the 20th century, an experimental psychologist tasked with measuring it. He asked, how should we determine what, say, a 10 year old should know? Well, what do 10 year olds seem to know? He developed the IQ score, where one is measured against a chronological age group.

It was a good test to predict academic performance, but in a way, as it was designed for that purpose, its a built in guarantee. A lot of the questions are similar to what they encounter anyway.

What it did not predict was eminence in a field, or genius like Einstein Newton or Shakespeare. It seems that, if you get a degree under ur belt, it has nothing to say when predicting who will do great things.

For me intelligence could mean any number of mental function, from the walking textbook to the walking calculator. But the one i see as most prized is that of creativity and imagination. The ability to create new content, see things from a different perspective than the usual, shifting paradigms. The person who sees into the darkness and the void of the unknown, and majestically moves through it.

Alex[/FONT]