Thursday, January 19, 2017
Saturday, August 15, 2015
What is Intelligence and How
is it Measured?
Intelligence is a term that is difficult to define,
and it can mean many different things to different people. In fact, it has
divided the scientific community for decades and controversies still rage over
its exact definition and form of measurement.
In the popular sense, intelligence is often defined
as the general mental ability to learn and apply knowledge to manipulate your
environment, as well as the ability to reason and have abstract thought. Other
definitions of intelligence include adaptability to a new environment or to
changes in the current environment, the ability to evaluate and judge, the
ability to comprehend complex ideas, the capacity for original and productive
thought, the ability to learn quickly and learn from experience and even the
ability to comprehend relationships.
A superior ability to interact with the environment
and overcome its challenges is often seen as a sign of intelligence. In this
case, the environment does not just refer to the physical landscape (eg.
mountains, forests) or the surroundings (eg. school, home, workplace) but also
to a person’s social contacts, such as colleagues, friends and family – or even
complete strangers.
Researchers asked about the aspects of intelligence
felt that factors like problem-solving ability, mental speed, general
knowledge, creativity, abstract thinking and memory all played important roles
in the measure and standard of intelligence. Most agree that intelligence is an
umbrella term which covers a variety of related mental abilities.
Measuring Intelligence
Like the definitions of
intelligence, the measurement of intelligence is dogged by controversy and
disagreement. While there are a number of different methods for measuring
intelligence, the standard and most widely accepted method is by measuring a
person’s ‘intelligence quotient’ or IQ.
Related on About Intelligence...
- How
Intelligence is Measured
- What is IQ and How it is Measured?
- Psychometric Testing and What it Measures
- Intelligence
and Birth Order
- The
Phenomenon of Genius
- Savant
Syndrome and Intelligence
Based on a series of tests
which assess various types of abilities such a mathematical, spatial, verbal,
logic and memory. The results from such tests done on a group that is
representative of the wider popular shows the classic ‘bell-shape’ distribution,
meaning that most people are of average intelligence with a few at the extreme
ends of the scale.
General Intelligence or ‘g’
The
concept of intelligence as a single entity was first put forth by an English
psychologist named Charles Spearmen in the early 20th century. Spearman coined
the term ‘General Intelligence’ or ‘g’ which was based on measure of people’s
performance across a variety of mental tests.
This single intelligence
was believed to enable humans to undertake common mental tasks and believed to
correspond to a specific region of the brain. Recent research has supported
this with a part of the brain called the ‘lateral prefrontal cortex’ being
shown to the only area which has increased blood flow when test patients tackle
complicated puzzles.
However, many have also
questioned Spearman’s theories, in particular the simplistic nature of the ‘g’
concept and whether intelligence can really be treated as a single entity.
Others have debated the dependence of intelligence on our biological make-up,
citing the importance of socio-economic factors such as education.
Multiple Intelligences
More
recently, scientist dissatisfied with the traditional idea of a single
intelligence have postulated alternate theories of “multiple intelligences” –
that is, intelligence is the result of several independent abilities which
combine to contribute to the total performance of an individual.
Psychologist Howard
Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences states that intelligence can be
broken down into 8 distinct components: logical, spatial, linguistic,
interpersonal, naturalist, kinaesthetic, musical and intrapersonal. Thus he
believes that standard IQ tests and psychometric tests focus on certain
components, such as logical and linguistic, while completely ignoring other
components which may be equally important.
Another psychologist,
Robert Sternberg, proposes that there are 3 fundamental aspects to
intelligence: analytical, practical and creative. Like Gardener, he also
believes that traditional intelligence tests only focus one aspect – analytical
– and does not address the necessary balance from the other two aspects.
One alternate type of
intelligence often mentioned in popular media is ‘emotional intelligence’,
developed by Daniel Goleman and several other researchers. This refers to an
individual’s ability to understand and be aware of your own emotions, as well
as those of people around you. This ability enables you to handle social
interactions and relationships better.
Are You Intelligent? Or Just Clever?
In the educational context, a person’s
intelligence is often equated with their academic performance but this is not
necessarily correct. Certainly, a person’s ability to think analytically and
use their knowledge and experience is often more important than their ability
to command a large number of facts. Note also that the word intelligence comes
from the Latin verb, “intellegere” which means “to understand” – however, the
ability to understand could be considered different to being “smart” – the
ability to adapt and “clever” – the ability to adapt creatively!
HOW TO CONCENTRATE ON STUDIES
Are you having trouble
concentrating? Here are some ways to get your focus back on track!
1. 1
Look at what influences concentration. Many issues go far beyond mere laziness into planning and facilitating
(making it happen).2
Get a full night of rest. Sleep
deprivation can make it very difficult to concentrate for a topic for long
periods of time. Make sure you are getting at least eight hours of rest per
night.
2. 3
Remove stress and anxiety producing factors. Worrying about other things, whether they be relationships or friends,
can make it difficult to put those issues aside and focus on your studies. You
may want to consider removing some of these stresses and tackle them head on.
Is your schedule too loaded? Are you dealing with peer pressure? Prioritize your
schedule and develop confidence in your relationships.
3. 4
Adopt a healthier diet. Your body
needs good food in order to keep it running well. Poor diets can be linked to
low energy and depression, which can make it difficult to concentrate. On the
flip side, caffeine can overstimulate you and lead to nervousness.
4. 5
Avoid symptoms of boredom. Boredom
comes from doing something that lacks meaning or motivation to you. Try to find
a way to make your studies more interesting, or at least create good rewards
for yourself that will make you more motivated to finish -- like get a salad to
celebrate.
5. 6
Sublimate: be vigorous and emotional to succeed using anger or even fear of
making a C to motivate practice of skills or study concepts.
1. 1
Have everything you need to study. Your pencils and pens, highlighters and books should be within your
reach so that you are not distracted while studying.
2. 2
Have a snack nearby. Something
simple like crackers or chips will help your mind stay focused. Don't drink
coffee, tea, or any other energy drinks. They will eventually lead to crash
that makes you feel tired.
3. 3
Have a timetable. Work for
30-60 minute periods with 5-15 minute breaks in between.
4. 4
Embrace your learning: Studying or
practicing for an hour is like a feast of learning or a workout. Tell yourself why
you want to do that.
5. 5
Find a quiet place to study. You want
the room to be silent and free of distractions in order to concentrate. For
example, do not study right in front of a TV because you will only do your
homework when the advertisements come up. Go to get a "snip" of TV or
radio only as a quick break -- exactly as if it's a few moments to go to get a
drink of water. Such entertainment is not a festival, not like a picnic; keep
it simple and quick.
6. 6
Make sure your cell phone and other electronic devices are turned off. This will help you avoid temptations to be off task and allow you to
stay on your plan.
7. 7
Consider
playing music softly. For some
people, music helps them concentrate. For some, it doesn't. Try it out and see
what works best for you.
1. 1
Do the least pleasant tasks first. While fresh you can sizzle with the highest powers of concentration at
your disposal. "Do the most critical understandings and deep background
concepts early", before moving on to easier (less challenging) but
necessary grinding out of details. If you do the easier tasks first, you will
be thinking about/and "stressing-nerves" on the harder ones, the
whole time, and feel more tempted to avoid them once you do reach them (at the
end of too much busy-work).
2. 2
Have an objective list. Write out a
list of everything you need to accomplish. Check each items off as you finish
it.
3. 3
The "5 More" rule. Tell
yourself to do only five more things before quitting. Once you've finished
those, do another five. Breaking tasks up into smaller chunks makes
things easier for those with shorter concentration spans.
4. 4
Reward
yourself. Offer yourself incentives once you've completed a
study task. This will improve your motivation and therefore your concentration.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Being messy
Let's talk about messiness. What's your threshold for disorder? Just how
many socks can pile up on the floor before you reach your boiling point? Would
it cool your jets a bit to know that a messy brain may be a more creative and
efficient one?
First, a bit of background on these musings: I'm tidy, not crazy-person
clean, just normal, everyday, surfaces-clear-dishes-washed neat. My live-in
boyfriend is not. He's much more, well, relaxed than I am
about basic household chores. He doesn't mind dirty dishes in the sink or
clothes on the floor. Actually, it's more than just not minding — he truly
does not see the problem. He looks at a mess the same way I look at any
inanimate object: he acknowledges its existence and is totally fine with it. I
look at a mess and grit my teeth.
So I got to wondering: how is his brain so different from mine, and what
creates our opposite reactions to the same situation? Surprisingly, I found
very little information. Of course, we've covered messiness here at Apartment
Therapy. We're full of suggestions to fix your messy desk, accept a messy entryway and even figure out if you're
chronically disorganized.
But what I really want to know is why some people are
just messier than others. And for that matter, what's so wrong with it?
The New York Times argues that it's nature, not nurture, that makes us slobs;
messiness is a trait that we're born with, not a habit that's developed. That
makes sense. I've yet to meet anyone who grew messier with age, and I can
easily see how a messy person who does clean up his act may actually be working
against his nature in order to fit in with the demands of society or (more
likely) his neater significant other.
It occurs to me that suggestions and tips about organizing and
de-cluttering always imply that being messy isn't the ideal state. But for my
boyfriend it is. He's perfectly able to relax in a messy room, work at a
messy desk and cook in a messy kitchen, all things I could never dream of
doing. We (the organizers of the world) assume that everyone wants to be organized,
but they just don't know how (hence the plethora of tips). I'm not so sure
that's accurate.
Author Roald Dahl at his messy (and productive)
desk.
Take a messy desk, for example. Einstein famously had one. So did Roald
Dahl. They both accomplished a lot. Traditional thinking tells us that a
clean, organized desk leads to more productivity and efficiency. But this Daily Mail article says it's just the opposite. A messy desk creates more creativity
and better problem-solving. Their description of clutter sounds a lot like the
concept of white noise: it blurs distractions and allows the brain to focus on
one task and make clear choices.
Then there's the controversy about "clean desk" policies in some offices, which imply
that there's a right and wrong way for employees to work. With the vast array
of ways that creative people think of and develop ideas, limiting how they
choose to do that work seems counter-intuituive to the idea of hiring creatives
in the first place.
You know what? My messy boyfriend is extremely creative (for a living)
and, while I have to pause to clean up before I can accomplish anything, he's
productive whenever and wherever he chooses to be. Will all this make me
less exasperated with socks on the floor? Probably not — I'm pretty set in
my ways. But my way, it seems, isn't the only right way to be.
Monday, July 8, 2013
I14, PASSIVE VOICE
CHANGE FROM ACTIVE TO PASSIVE
1.
I forgot my keys
2.
The dog barked at the mailman
3.
The class had decided to request a
general review before the test.
4 .
The professor may consider to grant
it to the class
5.
This will benefit everyone involved in the subject.
6.
I shot the sheriff
7.
My mother cooked my favorite dish
8.
The class has been canceled
9.
The congressmen passed the law.
10.
Nadine rules Ollanta’s life.
11.
Spielberg directed the film E.T.
12.
Fortunately, they didn’t hurt me in
the accident.
13.
The admissions committee called on a
new process
14.
Writers create stories for children
15.
I didn’t invite her to the ceremony.
16.
Consequently, security escorted her
to the exit.
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