Intelligence Assessment and Dynamics
What is intelligence?
● Intelligence is the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use
knowledge to adapt to new situations.
● Howard Gardner argued for the existence of 9 bits of intelligence.
○ Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: someone might be very athletic
and participates in all her high school gymnastic events.
○ Interpersonal intelligence: someone might have many friends and
intuitively knows how to respond to their moods.
○ Naturalist intelligence: someone who is great with animals, cares
for them deeply, and seems to have a knack for interacting with
them.
○ Existential intelligence: someone who might ponder large
questions about life, death, and existence
● Savant syndrome references a person who demonstrates an exceptional
specific mental skill while otherwise often remaining very limited in
intellectual capacity
○ Example: Psychological tests might show a 20-year-old with an
intelligence score of 60, but they can, within seconds, accurately
name the date on which Easter falls for any year in this century.
● Research confirms that there is a general intelligence factor. It predicts
performance on various complex tasks.
● Emotional intelligence is a critical component of social intelligence.
○ Example: Someone who knows how to express his emotions
appropriately in various social situations would score high on
managing emotions.
○ Example: Someone becomes angry that his best friend is
socializing with someone else, and he typically fails to realize that
he feels scared that he will lose this friendship. This lack of
self-insight best illustrates a low level of emotional intelligence.
What is intelligence?
● Intelligence is the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use
knowledge to adapt to new situations.
● Howard Gardner argued for the existence of 9 bits of intelligence.
○ Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: someone might be very athletic
and participates in all her high school gymnastic events.
○ Interpersonal intelligence: someone might have many friends and
intuitively knows how to respond to their moods.
○ Naturalist intelligence: someone who is great with animals, cares
for them deeply, and seems to have a knack for interacting with
them.
○ Existential intelligence: someone who might ponder large
questions about life, death, and existence
● Savant syndrome references a person who demonstrates an exceptional
specific mental skill while otherwise often remaining very limited in
intellectual capacity
○ Example: Psychological tests might show a 20-year-old with an
intelligence score of 60, but they can, within seconds, accurately
name the date on which Easter falls for any year in this century.
● Research confirms that there is a general intelligence factor. It predicts
performance on various complex tasks.
● Emotional intelligence is a critical component of social intelligence.
○ Example: Someone who knows how to express his emotions
appropriately in various social situations would score high on
managing emotions.
○ Example: Someone becomes angry that his best friend is
socializing with someone else, and he typically fails to realize that
he feels scared that he will lose this friendship. This lack of
self-insight best illustrates a low level of emotional intelligence.
