Multiple intelligences
How should intelligence be defined and what difference does it make? How valid are IQ tests in assessing intelligence?
The value of IQ tests has been questioned by researchers who pointed out that human behaviour is determined by a wide range of factors. Howard Gardner, working in the 1980s, suggested that people have multiple intelligences and explained how they relate to skills and abilities.
| Intelligence | Associated skills and abilities |
|---|---|
| Linguistic | Using words and language |
| Logical-mathematical | Using numbers and logic |
| Musical | Using music, sound and rhythm |
| Bodily-kinesthetic | Using body and physical movement |
| Spatial | Using space and images |
| Interpersonal* | Understanding other peoples’ feelings |
| Intrapersonal* | Understanding one’s own feelings |
*These can be grouped together as ‘personal intelligences’.
This list was not intended to be exhaustive – Gardner and others continued to add to his original list. Gardner also stressed that while individuals might show a stronger leaning towards one or more intelligence, all can all coexist, in varying degrees, within each person.
Why are multiple intelligences relevant?
Formal education often focuses on developing linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences, which can affect the priorities of teaching and learning and the methods and approaches used.
Think about your own strengths and weaknesses as a student. How, if at all, do they relate to the list of multiple intelligences? Do you have any particular talents, skills or interests that indicate higher or lower levels of particular intelligences? How do you think these affect what you study and how you study?
Students with highly developed musical intelligence, for example, might find it easier to understand information that they hear rather than read. They might benefit from lectures, podcasts and other audio-visual materials.
