What is the nature of intelligence?

[hmkpoker]

[ QUOTE ]
The book that SunofBeach is onto here is an excellent read. Its called "The Bell Curve" rather than jar [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

In that book the authors talk about all kinds of things that effect measures of general intellegence. Parents, schools etc. They say that to them it appears that if you have a large enough sample size then general intelligence is 60% genetic and 40% environmental factors. For any one individual it can be all one or the other factor though.
On the different types of intelligence most experts would say that there is a difference between verbal skills and mathematical skills. But many believe there is also a general intelligence factor for people.
When the authors commented on racial differences of general intelligence (ie Jewish race scoring higher, and certain minorities lower) that got some controversial press even though they also said that some of those differences could lessen over time.

[/ QUOTE ]

We reviewed that book in one of my psychology courses. There is an error in the racial component, that being that it seems likely to reflect an environmental factor. Blacks and hispanics, for example, often come from a poorer socio-economic status than jews, whites and asians. Accordingly, results reflective of SES manifest.

As for the genetic component, it dilutes greatly with the disparity of the genes. A study was done on identical twins separated at birth, raised in different environments. A high (85%ish) correlation exists in their IQ scores). Fraternal twins in similar conditions were much, much lower (50%), and siblings' correlations were almost irrelevant.

[The Truth]

[ QUOTE ]
The book that SunofBeach is onto here is an excellent read. Its called "The Bell Curve" rather than jar [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

In that book the authors talk about all kinds of things that effect measures of general intellegence. Parents, schools etc. They say that to them it appears that if you have a large enough sample size then general intelligence is 60% genetic and 40% environmental factors. For any one individual it can be all one or the other factor though.
On the different types of intelligence most experts would say that there is a difference between verbal skills and mathematical skills. But many believe there is also a general intelligence factor for people.
When the authors commented on racial differences of general intelligence (ie Jewish race scoring higher, and certain minorities lower) that got some controversial press even though they also said that some of those differences could lessen over time.

[/ QUOTE ]

This book is good, but dated. There are many new books on multiple intelligences.

I like this one

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465026...ks&v=glance

its dry but gets you through the concepts.

blake

[bearly]

at m.i.t the real noam might suggest that none of us here has any............b

[ QUOTE ]

Are there really several types of intelligence, as wishy washy psychoanalysts claim?


[/ QUOTE ]

What's wishy, washy about it? And it's not all psychoanalysts. Have you ever read the works regarding Gardner's 8 intelligences? It might do you some good. I'm not saying it's right. But if you're going to say it's wishy, washy, it's on you to prove it wrong.

[blackize]

In my mind there are clearly different types of intelligence. I have come to believe this primarily because I can write well , grasp math very easily, and solve abstract problems quickly, but for the life of me I can't play music, compose music, or even hear the subtleties of musical composition. For some people these musical things come very easily and naturally. This is just one example of a different kind of intelligence.

I would say that the defintion of intelligence in broad terms is the rate at which you learn.

No that would not be the ultimate test of intelligence. Einstein, one of the greatest minds in recent history, could be pitted against William Faulkner, a great literary mind. Even using principles they haven't encountered before, they are likely to weigh towards one of their skillsets and not the other.

[purnell]

How about: "Intelligence is the ability to make and use tools to acheive one's desires"?

This is purely about the definition of intelligence. I read that if a class of school children (or 6th formers/college) who know each other well are asked to "rank the class in order of intelligence" their results will correlate with an IQ test. I don't know for sure whether this is credible, but it sounds right.

While musical ability may be impressive, I don't think that a musical expert who couldn't spell or do basic maths would be described as "intelligent" by most people.

I'm not intending to comment on the value of artistic abilities. But I think that calling them "intelligence" when most people don't intend this as a meaning of the word, is something done by people with low IQ scores.