Just How Are You Intelligent?

By: Jeffrey Massey

Background

• The way of measuring people’s intelligences for the past century was an I.Q. test or Intelligence Quotient test

• Howard Gardner (July 11, 1943 - present) led the charge against the universal I.Q. during the 1970s to the 1980s when other prominent psychologists started to question if the I.Q. test was truly the best way to measure intelligence

Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI Theory)

• Gardener believed that instead of one universal intelligence there were many different kinds of intelligence

• Instead of being measured on how much intelligence you have, you should be measured by how many different intelligences you have

Method

• He conducted no experiment• Rather, he used other experiments and studies

to evaluate different intelligences• To find out if a kind of intelligence could be

classified it had to fit into most of the eight criteria that he comprised

• 1.) Potential isolation of the intelligence by brain damage• 2.) The existence of Savants, prodigies, and other

exceptional individuals relating to intelligence• 3.) A clear set of information processing operations linked

to the intelligence• 4.) A distinctive development history of the intelligence

and the potential to reach high levels of expertise.• 5.) Evidence that intelligence has advanced through

evolutionary time.• 6.) Ability to study intelligence with psychological

experiments • 7.) Ability to measure the intelligence with existing

standardized tests• 8.) Aspects of intelligence may be represented by a system

of symbols

Results

• Linguistic Intelligence • Musical Intelligence • Logical-Mathematical Intelligence • Spatial Intelligence • Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence • Intrapersonal Intelligence • Interpersonal Intelligence • Later, Gardner added Naturalist Intelligence

Criticisms

• The MI theory can be modeled to explain any cognitive activity, rendering it impossible to prove or disprove

• All of the “intelligences” can be grouped into one test and a single score can yet again be comprised

• Not a clear enough way to measure intelligence• Couldn’t be applied as easily as an I.Q. test