Module 3, Thinking and Intelligence: 7.4 What are Intelligence and Creativity?

These flashcards cover key concepts of intelligence theories and creativity from the lecture notes.

Intelligence

The general mental ability to learn from experience, adapt to new situations, understand and use abstract concepts, and effectively solve problems. It's not just about knowing facts, but about being able to apply that knowledge and innovate in various contexts.

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Robert Sternberg's theory suggesting that intelligence is made up of three interconnected parts: analytical (problem-solving), creative (dealing with new situations), and practical (everyday tasks). This theory highlights how people use their intelligence to succeed in real life, not just in school.

Analytical Intelligence (Componential Intelligence)

One part of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory, also called academic intelligence. It involves thinking critically to analyze, evaluate, and solve problems, like a scientist or a detective. This is the kind of intelligence often measured by standard IQ tests.

Creative Intelligence (Experiential Intelligence)

Another part of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory, which refers to the ability to come up with new ideas and solutions, especially when facing new problems or situations. It’s about thinking outside the box, innovating, and using existing knowledge in new and flexible ways.

Practical Intelligence (Contextual Intelligence)

The third part of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory, often called 'street smarts.' It's the ability to solve everyday problems effectively by adapting to, changing, or choosing the best environment to achieve your goals. This often relies on hands-on experience rather than formal learning.

Crystallized Intelligence

This refers to the knowledge and skills accumulated over a lifetime, like vocabulary, general facts, and learned abilities (e.g., arithmetic). It tends to increase with age and experience, as you continue to learn and strengthen what you know, relying heavily on your long-term memory.

Fluid Intelligence

The mental capacity to solve new problems, reason abstractly, and see patterns without using previous knowledge. It's about thinking quickly and flexibly, especially with new and complex tasks like puzzles. While it may slightly decrease with age, it's different from the knowledge you've learned.

Multiple Intelligences Theory

Howard Gardner's theory that states intelligence isn't just one general ability but rather a collection of several different, independent intelligences. These different 'smart types' show how people interact with the world and learn in unique ways, suggesting everyone has different strengths.

Examples of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner identified eight primary intelligences, each describing a different area of ability:

1. Linguistic: 'Word smart,' skilled with language (e.g., writers, speakers).

2. Logical-Mathematical: 'Number/reasoning smart,' good at logic, math, and patterns (e.g., scientists, mathematicians).

3. Musical: 'Sound smart,' sensitive to rhythm and sound (e.g., musicians, composers).

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic: 'Body smart,' skillful in body movement and coordination (e.g., dancers, athletes, surgeons).

5. Spatial: 'Picture smart,' good at visual thinking and recognizing patterns in space (e.g., artists, architects, navigators).

6. Interpersonal: 'People smart,' understands and interacts well with others (e.g., teachers, leaders, therapists).

7. Intrapersonal: 'Self smart,' has deep self-awareness of one's own feelings and motivations (e.g., philosophers, self-aware individuals).

8. Naturalistic: 'Nature smart,' can recognize and understand variations in the natural world (e.g., biologists, farmers, environmentalists).

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

The ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and to recognize, interpret, and influence the emotions of others. Emotional intelligence is vital for personal well-being, smooth social interactions, and leadership, often being more important than traditional IQ for life success.

Components of Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman identified five core components of Emotional Intelligence:

1. Self-awareness: Understanding your own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and how they affect others.

2. Self-regulation: Managing your impulses, emotions, and adapting to change while acting with integrity.

3. Motivation: Being driven to achieve for personal growth, having optimism, resilience, and initiative.

4. Empathy: Feeling and understanding what others are experiencing, showing compassion and support.

5. Social Skills: Being skilled in building relationships, networking, influencing, inspiring, and working effectively with others.

Creativity

The process of developing new, original, and valuable ideas, solutions, or products. It involves both divergent thinking (generating many ideas) and convergent thinking (choosing the best one) to solve problems, express oneself, or innovate in any field, from art to science.

Divergent Thinking

A type of thinking used to generate many creative ideas by exploring various possibilities. It means 'thinking outside the box' to produce a wide range of different answers and solutions, like during a brainstorming session, where the focus is on quantity and variety of ideas without immediate criticism.

Convergent Thinking

A type of thinking that focuses on finding the single best or most logical solution to a problem. It involves using logical reasoning, evaluating information, and synthesizing what you know to arrive at a clear answer, often used when there's a predefined best solution.

Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

An individual's ability to effectively function and interact in diverse cultural settings. This means understanding and adapting to different cultural rules, values, and practices across three main areas: cognitive (knowing about cultures), motivational (wanting to engage with other cultures), and behavioral (adjusting your actions to fit cultural expectations).

Spearman's g Factor (General Intelligence)

A core idea by Charles Spearman, proposing that a single, general intelligence factor (called 'g') underlies all specific mental abilities. This means if you're good at one cognitive task, you tend to be good at others because of a shared, overall mental capacity.

Thurstone's Primary Mental Abilities

Louis Thurstone's theory that argued against a single 'g' factor, proposing instead that intelligence consists of seven distinct and independent 'Primary Mental Abilities.' These include verbal comprehension, word fluency, numerical ability, spatial reasoning, associative memory, perceptual speed, and general reasoning ability.

The Flynn Effect

The observed trend where average scores on intelligence tests have steadily increased across generations worldwide since the 1930s. This suggests that environmental factors like better nutrition, improved education, and increased exposure to mentally stimulating technologies contribute significantly to rising intelligence levels.

Criticisms of Multiple Intelligences Theory

Despite its popularity, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory faces criticisms. The main issues include a lack of strong scientific evidence to prove that these intelligences are truly separate and distinct. Many critics argue that some of these 'intelligences' are more accurately described as specific talents or skills rather than fundamental, independent types of intelligence.