Understanding Intelligence: Cognitive Abilities and Beyond
Classified in Psychology and Sociology
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Understanding Intelligence
Intelligence, as described in cognitive perceptual learning, suggests that our behavior is increasingly sophisticated. It explains a part of everything. This perspective posits that it's not always necessary to present stimuli for intelligence to develop. Intelligence involves manipulating symbols abstractly. This is evident in science, technology, art, philosophy, and poetry.
Prominent definitions of intelligence include the work of Alfred Binet, which explains a person's IQ. IQ, calculated by dividing mental age by chronological age and multiplying by 100, doesn't fully represent intelligence. Wilhelm Stern and David Wechsler offered similar definitions, emphasizing intelligence as the operational capability to address new situations and adapt to the environment.
When a person effectively responds to a new problem, they are considered intelligent.
Factorial Intelligence
Factorial intelligence is measured through intelligence tests, reflecting what we assess in psychometrics. The factors observed in these tests include numerical, verbal, spatial, and reasoning abilities.
Controversy Over Intelligence
There are differing views on intelligence. Some believe it exists in animals, while others consider it uniquely human.
Those who argue for animal intelligence point to the ability to transform the environment, use tools, and modify nature. Conversely, others define intelligence as the capacity to construct abstract concepts, use symbols, learn from reality, and articulate language, traits they consider exclusively human.
Some scholars argue that animals follow simple, stimulus-response patterns. While humans also learn this way, we assign meaning and interpretation to stimuli. We invent solutions for different scenarios and apply them to others, a capability unique to humans. Biologically, our cognitive intelligence differs from that of animals. Humans can interpret through cognitive intelligence, differentiating between reward and punishment because we understand our actions and their consequences.