Merriam-Webster defines intelligence as “the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations”. When we think of intelligence, there is often not just one subject matter that we are focusing on. Instead, we might talk about emotional intelligence, creativity, spatial and numerical intelligence, or intelligence related to words, to name a few. Some argue that there is an underlying intelligence factor that spans across all subject areas, called the g-factor. This idea is backed by instances where a person who scores well on one type of cognitive tests tends to score well on other types of cognitive tests. While someone may not appear AS intelligent in every area measured, there is an underlying baseline for how their intelligence compares, overall, to the intelligence of others. So, in terms of intelligence, do people stay the same over time? This is a tough question to answer. There are several factors that play into intelligence, and there is debate whether environment or genes play a larger role. I think people do have the potential to change significantly over time, but there is also a natural baseline that can limit them. One of my classmates this week summarized a research article that stated that when students come from a low socioeconomic status, their environment plays a larger role in their intelligence than their genetics do (Turkheimer, et. al., 2003). Given this information, I think that people who come from a low socioecomonic status have greater potential to change significantly over time if their environment changes. In the same study, researchers found that students who came from a high socioeconomic status are more influenced by genetics than environment. I think that these people have a lower likelihood to change greatly over time because their genetics are the driving factor behind their intelligence. However, this is talking in terms of the overall intelligence of people. I do think that people can appear to have different intelligence levels in different situations or settings. For example, I think that I have high intelligence when it comes to making inferences about situations or people and drawing conclusions. However, I am not very intelligent when it comes to numbers. I have a difficult time visualizing numbers and understanding what they really mean. If somebody talks to me about a situation and I offer a new perspective, they may view me as intelligent. However, if I talk to somebody else about money or the size of a crowd, they may view me as less intelligent. This isn’t to say that my actual intelligence is changing based on my setting, but my perceived intelligence would be different in each situation. What are your thoughts on intelligence? Do you think there is one overall intelligence level? Or are people more intelligent in certain areas, and less in others? References: Turkheimer, E., Haley, A., Waldron, M., D’Onofrio, B., & Gottesman, I. I. (2003). Socioeconomic Status Modifies Heritability of IQ in Young Children. Psychological Science, 14(6), 623–628. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0956-7976.2003.psci_1475.x
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AuthorI am a graduate student at Michigan State University and a first-year Kindergarten teacher. Archives
April 2021
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