Multiple intelligences

Week 3 reading

Proposed Multiple Intelligence Theory

Gardner (1938)

Seven distinct intelligences

Linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal sense of self, interpersonal

Gardner in 1999

Combined intrapersonal and interpersonal, and added another in intelligence. Naturalistic intelligence - the empathy for, and categorisation of, natural things.

Gardner in 2004

Proposed two additional intelligences: the mental searchlight intelligence, and the laser intelligence.

Mental searchlight intelligence

People with high IQ test scores have this intelligence, which allows them to scan wide spaces in an efficient way.

Laser intelligence

Permits individuals to generate "the advances of society".

Lack of empirical evidence for MI theory

There have been no published studies that offer evidence of the validity of the MI. Theoretically it's appealing, but biologically unsupported.

Intelligence is not a tangible object (Chen, 2004)

Gardner stated that he has not proposed testable components for the intelligence because his "basic paradigm clashes with that of psychometrics".

MI theory has been validated by classroom applications

Any improvement in student learning under MI framework is confounded with the positive effects of the novelty of a new method engendered by teacher enthusiasm and student excitement.

Watkins & Canivez (2004)

Argued that IQ subtest profiles are not stable or reliable. If the discriminating power of cognitive skill profiles were to be empirically compared with a standard system, it should not be IQ cognitive profiles.

Theory of g

A unitary general intelligence exists that is identified by an IQ test factor 'g'

Evidence for general intelligence 1

Cognitive skills have been shown to be significantly correlated with 'g'

Evidence for general intelligence 2

'g' has been shown to predict intellectual performance across different sets of measures

Evidence for general intelligence 3

A substantial portion of 'g' variance is predicted by working memory skill.

Arguments against MI theory 1

Adapted cognition modules operate differently from Gardner's intelligences.

Arguments against MI theory 2

Social cognition modules (e.g., cheating detection) help survival but do not align cleanly with MI categories like interpersonal intelligence.

Argument against MI theory 3

Many supposed "intelligences" in MI actually share overlapping neural mechanisms.

Findings for general intelligence again MI theory

Strong evidence exists for general intelligence (g) as a single cognitive factor underlying performance across domains.

General intelligence and MI theory

Gardner rejected g, but neuroscientific evidence shows frontal lobe systems support wide-ranging cognitive tasks, contradicting MI's separation of abilities.

Dual processing streams

These streams are not isolated intelligences, but interconnected systems that support multiple tasks.

Evidence for processing systems against MI theory.

Dual processing streams show different processing styles, but both operate across multiple domains - not separate intelligences.