Gardner's Theory of Intelligence

Howard Gardner introduced the theory of multiple intelligences stating that each person possesses a blend of at least eight different kinds of intelligence: verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and environmental/naturalistic (Bruno, 2009).

In “A Rounded Version: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences”, Howard Gardner illustrates how there are a variety of intelligences. Gardner starts off with an example how IQ tests may predict achievement in school but may not predict achievement in life. After finding out certain parts of the brain are responsible for certain functions, such as “Broca’s Area” which is responsible for sentence production, Gardner proposes the existence of multiple intelligences. Multiple studies later led him to propose seven distinct intelligences; Musical, bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Each intelligence has certain classifications. According to Gardner’s classifications, I realized my intelligences are bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, and intrapersonal.

Charles Spearman's model of intelligence and Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory are two of the most widely used theories of intelligence. In order to understand how similar the two theories are we must first understand their differences. These two men differed in opinion on how IQ and intelligence should be measured, and they differed in opinion on what made a person "smart". In order to examine these things they first had to understand the human brain and how it works. They had to examine the human study habits and rituals, along with the human test taking habits.

     A renowned professor of education and psychology at Harvard University, Howard Gardner has radically changed the way we look at intelligence. In 1983 Gardner published the first of two books that theorize that there are multiple intelligences. Gardner believes “that human cognitive competence is better described in terms of a set of abilities, talents, or mental skills, which we call “intelligence” (378). Gardner’s theory dismisses the idea that intelligence is a single attribute of the mind and suggests that there are different types of intelligences that account for different human

Wilson, L (2014 Page 80) reports on gardeners multiple intelligence (1983, 1993). This states that understanding intelligence and categorising it will develop learning. The categories are shown in the diagram below:

Traditionally, people have defined someone who is intelligent as an individual who can solve problems, use logic to answer questions, and think critically. But psychologist Howard Gardner has a much broader definition of intelligence. Compare the traditional idea about intelligence with Gardner's. How have his ideas changed the way we assess the strengths and weaknesses of people?

Intelligence by definition is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills” (Oxford Dictionary, 2014). However, many psychologists argue that there is no standard definition of ‘intelligence’, and there have been many different theories over time as psychologists try to find better ways to define this concept (Boundless 2013). While some believe in a single, general intelligence, others believe that intelligence involves multiple abilities and skills. Another largely debated concept is whether intelligence is genetically determined and fixed, or whether is it open to change, through learning and environmental influence. This is commonly known as the nature vs. nurture debate.

I am going to provide real-world examples for three types of intelligence as theorized by Gardner: verbal/linguistic, body-kinesthetic (movement), and logical/mathematical. I'll explain why each example represents one of the types of intelligence and present argumentative critics that have been offered against Gardner's research.

In the following essay, I will discuss examples of different intelligences as theorized by Gardener. One type of intelligence is that of linguistic intelligence. Linguistic intelligence is prevalent in people who receive high scores on tests that measure how well they speak and write. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, represents linguistic intelligence because he was an extraordinary public speaker and was able to motivate people through his words. Another type of intelligence is that of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is prevalent in people who manipulate their body in physical endeavors exceptionally well. Serena Williams, for example, demonstrates bodily/kinesthetic intelligence because she contains a

For Gardner, it is not a unitary whole that groups different specific capacities, but a net work of autonomous, relatively interrelated groups. For Howard Gardner, intelligence is a biopsychological information potential that can be activated in one or more cultural frameworks to solve problems or create product that have value for such frames

The theory of multiple intelligences was developed by Dr. Howard Gardner in 1983. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a critique of the standard psychological view of intellect: there is a single intelligence, adequately measured by IQ or other short answer tests. Instead, on the basis of evidence from disparate sources, the theory claims that human beings have a number of relatively discrete intellectual capacities. IQ tests assess linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence, and sometimes spatial intelligence; they are a reasonably good predictor of who will do well in school. This is because humans have several other significant intellectual capacities (Harvard University).

When a person utters the word “intelligence,” people tend to think of a genius like Albert Einstein developing some obscure equation that the great majority of the population will never understand. The problem with the definition of intelligence is that people relate intelligence to words like “genius” which require intelligence but do not have the same definition as intelligence. Often, people try to use related words to define intelligence, but these words are unable to define intelligence since many are only different levels of intelligence. While many definitions try to encompass the meaning of intelligence and various definitions describe a small part of intelligence, no definition completely explains intelligence, because

Howard Gardner recognizes that intelligence is more than the single logical-mathematical processing of stored facts that intelligence tests assess. He views intelligence as problem-solving, problem-creating, and problem-finding across a range of situations. There are a total of eight Multiple Intelligences: Logical-Mathematical, Linguistic, Musical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and lastly, Naturalist Intelligence. These Intelligences allow educators to carefully integrate several content areas within a specific curricula.

Just like a snowflake, each human is unique and possess different qualities and characteristics. No one is exactly alike, not even identical twins. This is also true when speaking about intelligence. Intelligence can be defined as the ability to resolve problems. This can be done in many ways. Howard Gardner suggests that intelligence can be classified into nine different categories: linguistic, spatial, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential. Each person differs in strengths and weaknesses and may possess different intelligences. An individual may be highly skilled in math and problem solving, but may possess no musical skills. It would benefit a student in college to evaluate Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences and determine their strengths when deciding what profession would suit them the best. Examining each type of intelligence mentioned in Gardner’s multiple intelligences will yield more knowledge to a student who is in search for a suitable career.

Generally, intelligence is implied to a man who can learn, comprehend and apply the information or abilities towards a specific issue. In other word, intelligence is characterized as general intellectual critical thinking aptitudes which identified with mental capacity which engaged with thinking, seeing the connections and analogies, critical thinking and some more. In light of what we have discovered, knowledge is acquired however it can likewise be identified with the earth all things considered. An investigation in America demonstrated that heredity was a vital factor in deciding intelligence. It was likewise recommended that condition or environment was a basic factor in deciding the degree of its demeanour or attitude.