The intelligence of a Gardner (sic)

I have believed for a long time (since I was 17 and missed out on becoming a member of Mensa by two points) that IQ tests are not a very good way of testing general intelligence. It seems obvious that IQ tests only test a number of small areas of one’s overall intelligence. For example it’s quite possible for someone to have a very high IQ (based on logic, maths and English skills) and yet have a very diminished skills in other areas (spatial, social, musical etc). I think that IQ tests are useful in only assessing the particular types of intelligence like maths or English and also that there’s little correlation between these kinds of intelligence and an overall intelligence (whatever that means).

 

Having studied psychology at university I probably did come across Howard Gardner’s work before, but in either event I have re-discovered his work again today (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_intelligence). He has structured his ideas of the different types of intelligence into different groups and given them names. In my opinion this theory is excellent at trying to bring out the idea that the IQ test (over 100 years old and completely out of date, but worse still regarded by the public as worthy of what it claims: to be a guide to overall intelligence) is in need of change, but I think Gardner’s theory needs more work to standardise and structure the ideas of intelligence (I have only read the Wikipedia article so I could be completely wrong about that).

 

In any event it’s an interesting idea and one which needs to have more widespread acceptance in society. The idea that people have different kinds of intelligence and that each doesn’t have more intrinsic worth than another (e.g. it’s widely accepted that academic, mathematical or linguistic intelligence is better) is one which I think needs to be promoted throughout society. Further I think the way our society is structured, including the way we educate and value each other will, over time, change to reflect the fact that we are different and our individual skills should be enhanced and valued rather than stifled.

 

Gardner’s categories of intelligence are perhaps a little arbitrary, however. His Naturalistic Intelligence roughly equates to being green-fingered!