Question

Discovering the Attributes of Intelligent Persons.

1. Who is the most intelligent of your classmates? Think of her/him in your mind’s eye, and write down a few words/phrases describing that person.
2. Think of 3 other persons in your immediate environment, whom you consider intelligent, and write down a few words/phrases describing the attributes of each.
3. Judge the newer additions with reference to what you wrote in item no. 1.
4. Make a list of all the attributes you consider as manifestations of intelligent behaviours. Using these attributes, try to frame a definition.
5. Discuss your report with your classmates and the teacher.
6. Compare it with what the researchers have to say about ‘intelligence’.

Answer 1

1. The Most Intelligent Classmate
   • Person: Rahul (Classmate)
   • Attributes/Phrases:
     • Grasps difficult math and science concepts almost instantly.
     • Highly focused and possesses an excellent memory for facts and figures.
     • Scores top marks in exams but is relatively quiet in class.
     • Solves complex textbook puzzles quickly.
2. Three Other Intelligent Persons in the Environment
   • Person A (Mother):
     • Manages the family budget flawlessly and handles unexpected household crises calmly.
     • Understands people’s emotions well and offers great practical advice.
   • Person B (School Cricket Coach):
     • Reads the opponent team’s strategy instantly and changes tactics mid-game to win.
     • Adapts quickly to changing weather or pitch conditions.
   • Person C (Local Electrician/Technician):
     • Can fix any broken appliance just by looking at it and figuring out the internal mechanism.
     • Excellent hands-on problem solver.
3. Judging the Newer Additions (Comparison): When comparing the three people from my environment to Rahul (Item 1), a clear shift in the nature of intelligence emerges:
   • Academic vs. Practical: Rahul’s intelligence is heavily academic and logical-mathematical (book smarts).
   • Broader Scope: The newer additions show that intelligence isn’t just about getting high exam marks. My mother shows emotional and managerial intelligence, the coach shows strategic and adaptive intelligence, and the electrician shows spatial and mechanical intelligence (street smarts).
4. List of Attributes & Definition
   • Manifestations of Intelligent Behaviour (List)
     • Cognitive Skills: Quick learning, sharp memory, logical reasoning, and abstract thinking.
     • Practical Skills: Real-world problem solving, financial management, and technical troubleshooting.
     • Adaptive Skills: Changing tactics based on the situation and surviving in new environments.
     • Social/Emotional Skills: Understanding human behavior, empathy, and maintaining emotional calm.
   • Framed Definition of Intelligence: “Intelligence is the comprehensive ability of an individual to quickly learn and understand new concepts, solve both academic and real-world practical problems, and successfully adapt to changing environments and situations.”
5. Discussion with Classmates and Teacher: During our discussion, our teacher pointed out that our personal definitions of intelligence often depend on what we value most. Some classmates value academic speed, while others value creativity or social skills. We realized that everyone defines intelligence based on the strengths they notice around them.
6. Comparison with Researchers’ Theories: When we compare our definition and master list to what psychological researchers say, we find exact matches with major psychological theories:
   • Alfred Binet’s Uni-Factor Theory: Matches our list's focus on general reasoning and judgment.
   • Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences: Highly supports our findings. Rahul represents Logical-Mathematical intelligence, the Coach represents Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence, the Mother represents Interpersonal intelligence, and the Electrician represents Spatial intelligence.
   • Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory: Perfectly aligns with our categories. He divided intelligence into Componential (Rahul's book smarts), Experiential (the Coach's creativity/adaptability), and Contextual (the Mother and Electrician's street smarts).