Clever as a Fox?

A Look at Intelligence
 If you’re so
smart…what exactly
is intelligence?
 Some ideas
• "Intelligence is the ability to recognize connections.“ - Carolus
Slovinec

• "To respond like a human being" -Alan Turing

• "The entropy of control responses" - G.N. Saridis

• A very general mental capability that, among other things, involves

the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly,
comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from
experience. It is not merely book learning, a narrow academic skill,
or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader and deeper
capability for comprehending our surroundings—"catching on",
"making sense" of things, or "figuring out" what to do.
– "Mainstream Science on Intelligence“ signed by 52
researchers in 1994
 Multiple intelligences…better than
multiple personalities.
• Theory proposed by Howard Gardener that
there are several different types of intelligences
and that each person has their own “cognitive
profile.”
• Intelligence based on 8 criteria.
• Focused on case studies of individuals with
specialized intelligence (child prodigies, autistic
savants), people with brain damage in certain
areas, evolutionary relevance of certain
capacities, the existence of symbolic notation
 8 types of intelligences ..not quite
31 flavors
• Bodily-Kinesthetic- movement and doing. Muscle
memory. Athletes, dancers, actors, comedians ..etc.
• Interpersonal- relationships! Usually extroverted and
sensitive to others emotions. Politicians, managers, teachers…
• Linguistic- control of language. Learn best through
notes/reading. Good at explaining/foreign language. Writers,
lawyers, philosophers, politicians and teachers.
• Logical-Mathematical- logic, reasoning,
abstraction and numbers. Ability to perform difficult
calculations. Scientists, mathematicians, engineers, doctors
and economists.
 4 more years…4 more
intelligences!
• Naturalistic- nature, nurturing and relating information
to one's natural surroundings. Ability to grow things and
nurture animals. Scientists, naturalists, conservationists,
gardeners and farmers. One of the “fuzzier” and newer
intelligences.
• Intrapersonal- introspective. Self aware of own
emotions, goals, and motivations. Philosophers, psychologists,
theologians, writers and scientists.
• Spatial- vision and spatial judgments. Overlap with
mathematic intelligence. Artists, engineers, and architects.
• Musical- Rhythm, music, and hearing. Absolute pitch or
play instruments. Musicians, singers, conductors, and
composers.
•Where does
intelligence come
from?
(Or in other words, did you do the reading?)
 Non-traditional intelligences.
• Savant syndrome describes a person having a severe
developmental or mental handicap with extraordinary mental
abilities not found in most people. This means a lower than average
general intelligence (IQ) but very high narrow intelligence in one or
more fields.
• Male savants outnumber females by 6 to 1, slightly higher than
autistic disparities.
• Can have extensive memory, be “mental calculators.” Usually
abilities are concrete, non-symbolic (right hemisphere.)
• Some savants have obvious neurological abnormalities but the
brains of most savants are anatomically and physiologically normal;
at least, there is no abnormality that modern science can detect.
Kim Peek
• Inspiration for the Rain man.
• Was born with macrocephaly
and the bundle of nerves
connecting the two
hemispheres of the brain were
missing.
• He reads a book in about an
hour and remembers
approximately 98% of
everything he has read.
• Sense of humor emerging
since 1994.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=AfDEAIszuQI
 How do we measure intelligence?
Can we use a ruler?
• As early as 2200 B.C, Chinese emperors used
large scale aptitude tests to select civil servants.
• Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon developed the
precursor to modern day intelligence tests in
1905.
• The most widely used measure of intelligence
today is the IQ test. (Standardized and Norm
referenced at 100.) There are several different
types.
 IQ? No you Q!
• The IQ test was not originally developed to
measure intelligence. Although some argue that
it does not represent all forms of intelligence, it is
a very accurate predictor of educational and
often occupational success.
• How important is your IQ? Can you increase
your intelligence? What are some of the
controversies facing the IQ measurement?
 The Mozart Effect…does it fall “b-
flat” on it’s face?
• In 1993, researchers at the University of California
discovered that after listening to 10 minutes of a Mozart
sonata, the average IQ of 36 college students improved
by 8-9 points and lasted 10-15 minutes.
• Similar neural firings in the cerebral cortex, when
listening to music and performing spatial tasks. (Warm
up neurons.)
• No tests have been performed on babies to see if their
spatial intelligence improves with music. However, in
1998, the Governor of Georgia proposed to spend
$105,000 to provide newborns free classical music CDs.
 IQ on the rise!
• Flynn Effect- IQ scores have increased from one
generation to the next for all of the countries for
which data existed. (5-25 points!)
• Some of the tests with the greatest increases
are those which are “culturally reduced”
(minimize influence of education.)
• Why? IQ not a good measure? Education?
Societal changes? Better nutrition?
 The Bell Curve, ring a bell?
• Herrnstein and Murray published book in 1994
which re-united the nature vs. nurture debate.
• Argued that IQ has a greater influence on life
experiences than Socioeconomic status.
• Also argued that since intelligence was mostly
inherited, money was wasted in interventionalist
policies.
• Country composed of “cognitive classes” and
“genetic capital” was being eroded by over-
reproduction of the less intelligent population.
 Cattell’s View of Intelligence -
Intelligence as a Few Basic Abilities
• Fluid intelligence on tests is measured by:
– The ability to assemble novel puzzles
– The ability to determine the next entry in a series of
numbers
– The ability to identify which one of four objects is
related to the others
– The ability to think on the spot and solve novel
problems
• The ability to perceive relationships
• The ability to gain new types of knowledge
 Cattell’s View of Intelligence -
Intelligence as a Few Basic Abilities

• Children who do well on one test of fluid

intelligence usually do well on other tests of fluid
intelligence
– They may no necessarily perform well on tests of
crystallized intelligence
 Cattell’s View of Intelligence -
Intelligence as a Few Basic Abilities
• Crystallized Intelligence
– Factual knowledge about the world
• The skills already learned and practiced
• Examples
– Arithmetic facts
– Knowledge of the meaning of words
– State capitals
 Broader Theory of Intelligence
• Howard Gardener proposed a theory of
multiple intelligences, in which he
identified 9 distinct types of intelligence.

• The first three intelligences are included in

psychometric theories of intelligence:

– Linguistic intelligence
– Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
– Spatial Intelligence
What Do These Intelligences Examine?
• Linguistics - sensitivity to the meanings and
sounds of words, mastery of syntax,
appreciation of the ways language can be used

• Logical-Mathematical - Understanding of
objects and symbols and of actions that be
performed on them and of the relations
between these actions, ability to identify
problems and seek explanations

• Spatial - capacity to perceive the visual world

accurately, to perform transformations upon
perceptions and to re-create aspects of visual
experience in the absence of physical stimuli
 Gardener’s Theory of Multiple
Intelligence
• Gardener’s remaining 6 distinct
intelligences are unique to Gardner’s
theory:

– Musical
– Bodily-kinesthetic
– Interpersonal
– Intrapersonal
– Naturalistic
– Existential intelligence
 What are these Intelligences?
• Musical - Sensitivity to individual tones and phrases of music, an
understanding of ways to combine tones and phrases into larger
musical rhythms and structures, awareness of emotional aspects of
music

• Bodily-Kinesthetic - Use of one’s body in highly skilled ways for

expressive or goal-directed purposes, capacity to handle objects
skillfully

• Interpersonal - Ability to notice and make distinctions among the

moods, temperaments, motivations, and intentions of other people
and potentially to act on this knowledge

• Intrapersonal - access to one’s own feelings, ability to draw on one’s

emotions to guide and understand one’s behavior, recognition of
personal strengths and weaknesses

• Naturalistic -- sensitivity and understanding of plants, animals, and

other aspects of nature

• Existential - sensitivity to issues related to the meaning of life, death,

and other aspects of the human condition
The question arises… should we use the
word intelligence to describe all valuable
skills like doing calculus, speaking 6
different languages, being able to make
the throw from home to second?

If we do… then Gardner is correct… people

do have many unrelated kinds of intelligence.
Now we have changed the definition and
meaning of intelligence
 Gardener’s theory has
prompted researchers to
begin examining other
nontraditional aspects of
intelligence
The best known is emotional intelligence
Intelligence Questions from Mensa
• 24 H in a D • 9 L of a C
• 26 L of the A • 7 W of the W
• 66 B of the B • 206 B in a B
• 52 C in a P • 5 F in a H
• 90 D in a R A • 29 D in F in a L Y
• 100 C in a D • 4 S of the Y
• 13 is U F S • N C be D to 0
• 1000 Y in a M • 7 C in a R
• 60 M in an H • 9 M of P
Intelligence Questions from Mensa
• 24 H in a D 24 HOURS IN A DAY

26 LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET

• 26 L of the A 66 BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

• 66 B of the B 52 CARDS IN A PACK

90 DAYS IN A RIGHT ANGLE

• 52 C in a P 100 CENTS IN A DOLLAR

• 90 D in a R A 13 IS UNLUCKY FOR SOME

1000 YEARS IN A MILLINEAL

• 100 C in a D 60 MINUTES IN AN HOUR

• 13 is U F S
• 1000 Y in a M
• 60 M in an H
 Intelligence Questions from Mensa
• 9 L of a C 9 L IVES OF A CAT

• 7 W of the W 7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD

• 206 B in a B 206 BONES IN A BODY

• 5 F in a H
5 FINGERS IN A HAND

29 DAYS IN FEBRUARY IN A LEAP YEAR

• 29 D in F in a L Y
4 SEASONS OF THE YEAR
• 4 S of the Y
NOTHING CAN BE DIVIDED TO 0
• N C be D to 0
7 COLORS IN A RAINBOW
• 7 C in a R
9 MONTHS OF PREGNANCY
• 9 M of P
Mensa is an international society of
people who score at or above the
98th percentile on any of several
standardized IQ tests. It provides
members with intellectual
stimulation and the opportunity to
socialize with other bright people
locally, regionally, and nationally.
The word "Mensa" means "table" in
Latin.
How is Intelligence
Measured?
 What is IQ?
• Lewis Terman revised Simon and Binet’s
test and published a version known as the
Stanford-Binet Test in 1916.

• Performance was described as an

intelligence quotient (IQ) which was imply
the ratio of mental age to chronological
age multiplied by 100:

• IQ=MA/CA x 100
•
Gender
Boys and girls tend to be equivalent in most aspects of
intelligence
– The average IQ scores of boys and girls is virtually
identical
– The extremes (both low and high ends) are over-
represented by boys

• Girls as a group:
– Tend to be stronger in verbal fluency, in writing, in
perceptual speed (starting as early as the toddler
years)

• Boys as a group:
– Tend to be stronger in visual-spatial processing, in
science, and in mathematical problem solving
(starting as early as age 3)
•
Schooling
Attending school makes children smarter

– Children from families of low SES and those from

families of high SES make comparable gains in
school achievement during the school year

• What about during summer break?

– Children from families of low SES have a drop in

achievement scores

– Children from families of high SES have

achievement scores that stay constant or rise
slightly
•
Poverty
The more years children spend in poverty, the
lower their IQs tend to be

– Children from lower- and working-class homes

average 10-15 points below their middle-class age
mates on IQ tests

• In many countries, children from wealthier

homes score better on IQ test than children
from poorer homes

– The greater the gap in wealth in a country the

greater the difference in IQ scores
 Poverty Continued…
• Chronic inadequate diet can disrupt brain
development

– Chronic or short-term inadequate diet at any

point in life can impair immediate intellectual
functioning

• Reduced access to health service, poor

parenting, and insufficient stimulation and
emotional support can impair intellectual
growth
 Race and Ethnicity
• The average IQ score of Euro-American
children is 10-15 points higher than that of
African-American children

• The average IQ score of Latino and

American-Indian children fall somewhere
in between those of Euro-American and
African-American children

• The average IQ score of Asian-American

children tend to be higher than any other
group in the US
Race and Ethnicity Continued…
• American-Indian children:
– Better on the performance part than the verbal part
of an IQ test
• Latino children:
– Better on the performance part than the verbal part
of an IQ test
• Asian-American children:
– Better on the performance part than the verbal part
of an IQ test
• African-American children:
– Better on the verbal part than the performance part
of an IQ test

• Overall - differences in IQ scores of children from

different racial and ethnic groups describes children’s
performance ONLY in the environments in which the
children live
 Culture-Fair Intelligence Tests
• Raven’s Progressive Matrices
– A “culture-fair” or culture-reduced test that would
make minimal use of language and not ask for any
specific facts

– These matrices progress from easy to difficult items --

measures abstract reasoning

• Even on culture-fair tests, Euro-American and

African-American children still differ

– One reason - culture can influence a child’s familiarity

with the entire testing situation