Intelligence
What is Intelligence?
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: higher-level abilities (such as abstract reasoning, mental
representation, problem-solving, and decision making), the ability to learn, emotional knowledge,
creativity, and adaptation to meet the demands of the environment effectively.
Psychologist Robert Sternberg defined intelligence as "the mental abilities necessary for adaptation to,
as well as shaping and selection of, any environmental context (1997, p. 1)
A Brief History of Intelligence
The study of human intelligence dates back to the late 1800s when Sir Francis Galton (the cousin of
Charles Darwin) became one of the first people to study intelligence.
Galton was interested in the concept of a gifted individual, so he created a lab to measure reaction times
and other physical characteristics to test his hypothesis that intelligence is a general mental ability that
is produced by biological evolution (hello, Darwin!).
Galton theorized that because quickness and other physical attributes were evolutionarily
advantageous, they would also provide a good indication of general mental ability (Jensen, 1982).
Thus, Galton operationalized intelligence as reaction time.
Operationalization is an important process in research that involves defining an unmeasurable
phenomenon (such as intelligence) in measurable terms (such as reaction time), allowing the concept to
be studied empirically (Crowthre-Heyck, 2005).
Galton’s study of intelligence in the laboratory setting and his theorization of the heritability of
intelligence paved the way for decades of future research and debate in this field.
Theories of Intelligence
Some researchers argue that intelligence is a general ability, whereas others assert that intelligence
comprises specific skills and talents. Psychologists contend that intelligence is genetic or inherited, and
others claim that it is largely influenced by the surrounding environment.
As a result, psychologists have developed several contrasting theories of intelligence as well as
individual tests that attempt to measure this very concept.
Assessing Intelligence
The Dynamics of Intelligence
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence
Determinants of Intelligence Test Scores
1. Hereditary Determinants
This determinant refers to the genetic influence of intelligence or our intelligence
inheritance from our family most especially our parents. Based on the investigation of
Sir Francis Galton in 1869, he stated that the word genius indicated an ability that was
exceptionally high at the same time inborn. His main argument was that mental and
physical features are equally inherited. This genius investigation has revealed that
identical twins (looks so alike/same gender) that have been conceived from one
fertilized egg have the same IQ than non-identical (e.g. fraternal twins – usually nothing
look-alike / opposite gender, develop when two separate sperm cells fertilize two eggs).
The non-identical twins usually are just like the usual siblings in the family.
This determinant is in doubt because there’s no precise evidence that shows the level of
heredity/genetics’ influence on mental ability. The reason behind this is that there are
families in which the child/children perform well academically like their parents and the
same as the kids whose parents have low or normal intelligence.
2. Social Determinants
This determinant refers to the environmental condition. A simple explanation would be
social and cultural factors affect an individual or a group's test scores. The example
given is when a child has an enriched environment or living in metropolitan or urban
areas like the National Capital Region would most likely tone his mental faculty or
cognitive ability while children in rural areas that are socially and culturally restricted
usually bear the lack of opportunity to obtain those knowledge or cognitive domain that
enables one to think as well as for problem-solving; for example, the development of
verbal skills which are necessary for educational outcomes.
The study of Akhurst in 1970 also compared the working class (a socioeconomic term
that describes the people’s social class tagged by low-paying jobs, physical labor, or
those that do not require skill, also included in this are those unemployed or supported
by social welfare programs like DSWD, or The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
(4Ps) that usually grants families with not so good household for poverty threshold or
minimum income to cover a family’s food and non-food needs) and middle-class families
(this falls between the working class and upper class within the socio-economic scale) in
verbal tests that the middle-class kids show higher test results than the working class. Of
course, the economic factor outlines this social class picture in which the family decides
the environment where they want the child to grow up.
3. Educational Determinants
It refers to the school or classroom where the child develops his intellect that
depends on what provokes the mentality he receives and where he responds to. As
for the example, it is a comparison again of the city and barrio or urban and rural
areas. As the schools in the city, in general, have updated teaching materials or
resources while those in the barrios are usually limited that has to do with the
quantity and quality.
4. Maturation
This refers to the determinant when a child advance in years or simply matures. It
states that as a child gets older, it shows stability in scores.
Raven’s matrices is a nonverbal ability test used to assess abstract reasoning. The
test is progressive in the sense that questions get harder as the test progresses.
5. Physical Factors
Health affecting intelligence scores. Those weakening conditions like malnutrition
and constant minor ailments meaning, those less serious medical conditions that do
not require lab or blood tests that have been experienced by an individual in early
life are likely less to perform well in test results. Sensory defects or disorders like
autism, hearing loss, blindness or low vision, and motor defects like cerebral palsy
(CP) is an umbrella term for a group of disorders affecting body movement, balance,
and posture. Loosely translated, cerebral palsy means "brain paralysis." Cerebral
palsy is caused by abnormal development or damage in one or more parts of the
brain that control muscle tone and motor activity (movement).
According to Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, blind and deaf children progress
more slowly than unimpaired ones through intellectual maturation stages.
6. Personal Factors
Refers to the factors including sex/gender, motivation, and attitude.
Sex. It is widely accepted but not wholely that girls perform at a higher level on tasks
involving verbal ability than do boys based on the observation.
Motivation. The general desire or willingness of someone to do something.
Attitude. A way of feeling or acting toward a person, thing, or situation.
7. Response Tendencies
Determinant wherein it assesses speed and power test of the mental operations.
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