analysis of the Validity of intelligence theories
Since intelligence is a concept that is abstract rather than concrete, many psychologists had different theories about intelligence. The psychologists shown above are the major theorists of intelligence and all of their theories have certain strong points as well as weaknesses/limits.
CHARLES SPEARMAN
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Spearman believed that intelligence could be expressed in a single factor. By using factor analysis, he found correlations among disparate items and concluded that a single, general (g) factor underlies many specific (s) intelligences. In other words, people who perform well on one of the specific abilities test would generally perform well on other intelligences as well because they have a high general intelligence. According to Spearman, intelligence is something that could be measured and this seems false because intelligence is an abstract concept that should not be reified. Although studies and statistics have proven that people who score well on a certain specific intelligence do better on other abilities as well, the simplification of intelligence as a single factor seems too radical and insufficient to describe one's true capability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations. When Spearman views the results of my intelligence tests, he would claim that since I scored relatively high on linguistic intelligence, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal intelligence, I have a high g factor that underlies all these specific intelligences. I do not think that his theory is totally accurate because although I scored well on some areas such as linguistic and interpersonal intelligences, I did not do well on other areas such as kinesthetic and musical intelligences.
Robert STERNBERG
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Sternberg came up with the triarchic theory that claims that there are three types of intelligence, which are analytic intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence. Analytic intelligence is associated with comparing and contrasting, analyzing, and explaining. Sternberg would have said that I have strong analytic intelligence because I did well on the linguistic portion of the in the IQ test. Moreover, my performance on interpersonal intelligence showed that I could analyze and understand different situations and people well. The second type of intelligence, which is creative intelligence, is focused on people's capability to use their knowledge in innovative ways. Sternberg would have said that I do not have a very strong creative intelligence because I am often limited in applying and enacting things in an innovative, original manner. Lastly, practical intelligence refers to the ability to apply what they know to real-world situations. I think I have about average practical intelligence because I do try to apply what I have learned to real-life although I am not the type who can apply all obtained knowledge automatically. I find Sternberg's theory the most appealing and rational in measuring intelligence but critics might claim that his theory is limited in that it relies quite heavily on context. People might be able to perform differently depending on the context of their situations.
DANIEL GOLEMAN
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Goleman studied emotional intelligence, which refers to the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions. Emotional intelligence is related to Gardner's interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences. Emotional intelligence is indeed an important aspect of life because studies have shown that those with higher emotional intelligence are more likely to have better jobs and relationships and thus, succeed in their lives. Goleman would have said that I have a relatively high emotional intelligence but I could still improve on it by learning to use emotions in various, expressive ways. However, I did score well on interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences, which shows that I do have a good understanding of myself and others' emotions. Goleman's study, however, is limited in that it only focuses on the emotion part of intelligence when there are many other aspects of intelligence, such as creativity, artistic intelligence, spatial ability, and linguistic intelligence.
HOWARD GARDNER
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Gardner developed the idea of multiple intelligences. In contrast to other psychologists who focused on one or few aspects of intelligence, his study encompassed a wide range of components of intelligence. Even though linguistic, logical, and spatial intelligences are rather conventional, Gardner added musical, intrapersonal, interpersonal, bodily-kinesthetic, and natural intelligences to his theory. Critics of Gardner's theory, however, claim that there is no well-defined way to measure the multiple intelligences that Gardner came up with. In addition, not everyone in the world are given the same opportunities in their lives and thus, their abilities to do well in the multiple intelligences might fluctuate depending on their cultures. When Gardner views the results of my intelligence tests, he would claim that I have good intrapersonal, interpersonal, linguistic, and logical intelligences while I lack kinesthetic, natural, and musical intelligences. In other words, I am good at interpreting and analyzing, understanding myself as well as others, and thinking logically but I am not very talented in learning through movements, music, and naturalistic thinking.