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Individual Differences in Intelligence


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Heredity and environment play important role
Intelligence defined as a general aptitude for learning or an ability to obtain and use
knowledge/skills
Alfred Binet; first measure of intelligence in 1904
o IQ; mental age / chronological age x 100 (average = 100)
British ability scale
o Reasoning, spatial imagery, perceptual matching, STM and application of
knowledge
Most psychologists believe there is a general mental ability (g)

IQ and School Performance
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Moderate correlation between school grades and WISC
o Higher correlations between achievement tests and intelligence scores
- Higher IQ related to more years of education and higher job status
o BUT
§ When years of education is held constant, IQ does not predict income
and success
• Other factors may contribute to these outcomes
o (Goleman, 1995)
- Cote (2000)- IQ didn’t predict academic success in Canadian students
o Motivation was the most important factor
- Sternberg (2001)- IQ useful in predicting achievement
o Only in conjunction with a range of other factors
BUT- correlations doesn’t mean that IQ determines academic success!



Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 2003)
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Intelligence not viewed as a single general ability but differentiated into specific
modalities
Biological and Psychological potential; capable of being realised depending on
environment and motivation
o Not how smart you you are but how you are smart
8 separate intelligences
o Supported by neuro evidence with brain damage; can effect functioning in
one area but not others
o People may excel in one of 8 areas without great ability in other 7
§ Linguistic
• Understand and use language effectively as
expression/communication through written or spoken word
§ Visual-spatial intelligence
• Thinking in images and orient self spatially
• Graphically represent visual/spatial ideas e
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artists
o Tested by: Ravens Progressive Matrices (patterns in
shapes)

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Intrapersonal
• Understand self, including strength, interests, goals, thoughts
and feelings
• Capable of self-reflection
Naturalist
• Ability, identify and distinguish between components or
phenomena in our natural environment
Musical
• Appreciate a variety of musical forms and use music as a
vehicle of expression
• Perceptive to rhythm, melody, harmony and pitch
Body-Kinaesthetic
• Ability to use own body skilfully as a means of expression
• Use physical coordination to master problems
Logical-mathematical
• Understand and use logic, numeric symbols and operations
• Recognise relationships between patterns and things
Interpersonal (social)
• Understand and interact well with others
• Understand other people’s actions and feelings

Measuring MI
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Multiple Intelligences Profiling Questionnaire (Tirri, 2007)
o 5-point likert self-rating questionnaire based on the theory
Gardner (2007) criticised the test
o Don’t measure performance- find out preferences, interests and abilities
o Self-report nature relies on self-awareness
§ Model suggests not everyone has intrapersonal skills
• Too difficult to create a valid test

Applying MI to Education
- Practical applications in teaching, curriculum development in education
- Gardner (2003); rethinking teaching and assessment to take more account of
individual needs
- Lessons and education are more personalised
o Education now values specific types of intelligences
- Promoting different intelligences = more opportunities for more to succeed and act
as a great motivator

Benefits of using MI in the classroom
- Teachers can see that arts etc can be as valuable in contributing to students’
understanding of the world as well as traditional academic subjects
- Authentic learning based on students’ needs, interests and talents
- Students able to share and show their strengths
o Increase motivation to be a specialist in an area

o Can lead to increased self-esteem


Limitations of MI
- There is no valid measurement tool available
o Made it a difficult theory to prove
o Ambiguous and subjective not objective
- Some argue they are not distinct intelligences but subsets of ‘g’
o But debate over g itself is still ongoing
- Some say his intelligences are better understood as cognitive styles or ways of
thinking rather than distinct types of intelligences

Criticisms of MI
- Not new
o His intelligences are primary abilities that educators and cognitive
psychologists have always acknowledged
- Not well defined
o Will the number of intelligences increase? Garnder says impossible to
guarantee a definitive list of intelligences
- Not independent
o They are not separate but highly correlated
- Defeats national standards
o Adoption of MI would make it difficult to compare and classify students’
skilss and abilities across the classrooms
- Impractical
o Educators already faced with overcrowded classrooms and lack of resources
§ Trying to bring in MI will make this worse



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