What is Intelligence?

[Algophiliac]

What is intelligence? Talent can be absolutely any skill at which an individual finds him or herself proficient, such as painting or playing the piano. But what exactly is intelligence?

Is your typical author intelligent? Math professor?

Everyone knows GPA really matters little in measuring intelligence, and I believe the MCAT is also a poor indicator of intelligence. But does intelligence measure the profound thinkers in every field, those who think the fastest...what?

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[Zona Pellucida]

Unanswerable.

 

[vickpick]

hmmm... I think MCAT measures intelligence accurately... so does the SAT...

they're not standardized by a bunch of ******s. Institutions spend millions in making the test more accurate testers of intelligence, and thus the inclusion of VR in MCAT

 

[minicow]

my psychology book tried very hard to answer this....

 

[teenmachinery1]

there's a definition of education that I like, and it goes something like: the more educated you are the more you know that you don't know.

sorry, i tried to google it but snake eyes.

so, a working definition of intelligence could be the measure of a person's understanding of how much they don't know.

admittedly, this sounds ******ed but I'm just throwing it out there.

 

[PinkIvy08]

Intelligence is sexy!

 

[EulerianCircuit]

there's a definition of education that I like, and it goes something like: the more educated you are the more you know that you don't know.

Socrates, I think.

 

[vickpick]

Socrates, I think.

it is, but some others who possibly have never read Socrates have also said that.. apparently, he didn't copyright it and post it on turnitin.com .. jk jk jk

 

[smarttee88]

there's a definition of education that I like, and it goes something like: the more educated you are the more you know that you don't know.

sorry, i tried to google it but snake eyes.

so, a working definition of intelligence could be the measure of a person's understanding of how much they don't know.

admittedly, this sounds ******ed but I'm just throwing it out there.

Not ******ed at all. Actually makes a lot of sense.

 

[StormingWynn]

What is intelligence? Talent can be absolutely any skill at which an individual finds him or herself proficient, such as painting or playing the piano. But what exactly is intelligence?

Is your typical author intelligent? Math professor?

Everyone knows GPA really matters little in measuring intelligence, and I believe the MCAT is also a poor indicator of intelligence. But does intelligence measure the profound thinkers in every field, those who think the fastest...what?

The ability to problem solve? Isn't that what basically separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom? The ability to look at a situation and interpret it, coming up with a solution which ultimately leads to success?

 

[vickpick]

oh, i just realized what intelligence means..

when someone uses INTEL products, they are intelligent.... and the act of using those products is INTELligence!!!! Another mystery solved by HOTFORWORDS.. lol (if anyone knows her from youtube... no... her analogies are not as stupid as mine)

 

[learnmdabc]

If I were to list random phrases off the top of my head to describe "intelligence,"

1. always logical
2. strong awareness of self-ignorance and understanding.
3. incisive: gets to the bottom of issues quickly. But slow to draw conclusions.
4. always flexible: willing to change opinion if evidence arises to refute previous understanding.

As opposed to "smart"

1. good memory
2. good at predicting and meeting expectations.
3. finds short cuts

 

[Arsenophilia]

Intelligence is the ability to find connections between seemingly disparate ideas. "Seemingly" because the average person is not intelligent, hence they find it difficult to connect these ideas.

+1 for Verbal reasoning. It might seem like a bs section, but intelligence has to distinguish between shades of grey. This is just like the ambiguity of day to day life. I think this section more than BS and PS (both of which you can drastically improve by studying) is the true indicator of intelligence.

 

[tncekm]

Intelligence is complicated, IMHO.

Most underappreciate type of intelligence: common sense.

 

[teenmachinery1]

Intelligence is the ability to find connections between seemingly disparate ideas. "Seemingly" because the average person is not intelligent, hence they find it difficult to connect these ideas.

+1 for Verbal reasoning. It might seem like a bs section, but intelligence has to distinguish between shades of grey. This is just like the ambiguity of day to day life. I think this section more than BS and PS (both of which you can drastically improve by studying) is the true indicator of intelligence.

Wahoo for VR!!!

 

[ILikeDrugs]

hmmm... I think MCAT measures intelligence accurately... so does the SAT...

they're not standardized by a bunch of ******s. Institutions spend millions in making the test more accurate testers of intelligence, and thus the inclusion of VR in MCAT

It's a good thing the MCAT does not have a social intelligence test because you would obviously fail it. How old are you? 12? I don't know of any mature adults that use the word "******ed" in such a demeaning way. Maybe it's time to grow up?

 

[tncekm]

+1 for Verbal reasoning. It might seem like a bs section, but intelligence has to distinguish between shades of grey. This is just like the ambiguity of day to day life. I think this section more than BS and PS (both of which you can drastically improve by studying) is the true indicator of intelligence.

VR isn't a good example. It favors life-long readers far too much b/c they can get through and retain material much more efficiently than people who have avoided books their whole life. Not to mention the additional can of worms that is opened up when you think the test-writers have a poor interpretation of the authors words.

I think the BS is the best section because it requires you to take new information, combine it with old knowledge, and solve problems through logic and intuition.

 

[StormingWynn]

Wahoo for VR!!!

Awwww ****, so if I get a 2 on the VR section I'm an idiot?

 

[teenmachinery1]

VR isn't a good example. It favors life-long readers far too much b/c they can get through and retain material much more efficiently than people who have avoided books their whole life. Not to mention the additional can of worms that is opened up when you think the test-writers have a poor interpretation of the authors words.

I think the BS is the best section because it requires you to take new information, combine it with old knowledge, and solve problems through logic and intuition.

Wahoo for BS!!! (VR and BS were my best sections!)

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Well what type of intelligence are we talking about? Spatial? Crystallized? Fluid? Linguistic? Interpersonal? Intrapersonal? Musical?

Just because someone is intelligent in one area, such as crystallized, does not mean that they will be socially intelligent. This has already been proven in this thread. You won't find a test that measures all the different forms of intelligence. Instead, you'll find tests that tap into the different areas.

 

[CoolWhipp]

Awwww ****, so if I get a 2 on the VR section I'm an idiot?

All BS aside, yes. If you score a 2 on VR you are absolutely an idiot.

 

[tncekm]

Well what type of intelligence are we talking about? Spatial? Crystallized? Fluid? Linguistic? Interpersonal? Intrapersonal? Musical?

Just because someone is intelligent in one area, such as crystallized, does not mean that they will be socially intelligent. This has already been proven in this thread. You won't find a test that measures all the different forms of intelligence. Instead, you'll find tests that tap into the different areas.

Exactly what I meant when I said intelligence is complicated and praised common sense.lol

 

[tennisball80]

I've read an article questioning about intelligence. The author states that even though she has a high GPA and good academic performance, she is not capable of doing a hands on based job. That article made me think about the same question as yours-what is intelligence?

 

[tncekm]

All BS aside, yes. If you score a 2 on VR you are absolutely an idiot.

If you score a 2 on any section, you're an idiot.

 

[StormingWynn]

All BS aside, yes. If you score a 2 on VR you are absolutely an idiot.

BUT BUT BUT, what if I had a hangover or fell asleep? Or what if English isn't my first language and I've only been speaking/writing in English for 1 year? Does that make me an idiot?

 

[tncekm]

BUT BUT BUT, what if I had a hangover or fell asleep? Or what if English isn't my first language and I've only been speaking/writing in English for 1 year? Does that make me an idiot?

Yes.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

The ability to problem solve? Isn't that what basically separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom? The ability to look at a situation and interpret it, coming up with a solution which ultimately leads to success?

If you give an octopus a jar with a crab inside it will figure out how to turn the lid one way and the jar the other way in order to get its prize in about 5 minutes. If another octopus observes his friend opening the jar it will not have to try. Instead, it will do exactly what it observed his friend do. If a monkey has its toy ping pong ball placed in a tall and thin cylinder that is fixed to the ground, it will soon figure out that it can use water (which is in a bucket nearby) to cause the ping pong ball to rise to the top.

 

[StormingWynn]

If you give an octopus a jar with a crap inside it will figure out how to turn the lid one way and the jar the other way in order to get its prize in about 5 minutes. If another octopus observes his friend opening the jar it will not have to try. Instead, it will do exactly what it observed his friend do. If a monkey has its toy ping pong ball placed in a tall and thin cylinder that is fixed to the ground, it will soon figure out that it can use water (which is in a bucket nearby) to cause the ping pong ball to rise to the top.

LOL that made me laugh.

 

[apumic]

Well what type of intelligence are we talking about? Spatial? Crystallized? Fluid? Linguistic? Interpersonal? Intrapersonal? Musical?

Just because someone is intelligent in one area, such as crystallized, does not mean that they will be socially intelligent. This has already been proven in this thread. You won't find a test that measures all the different forms of intelligence. Instead, you'll find tests that tap into the different areas.

^That, but if we're talking about testing "G" (general intelligence), verbal is generally the most accepted way of measuring "intelligence," hence its presence on tests such as the MCAT and the GRE.... Still, "intelligence" is an extremely fluid term and difficult to pin down.

 

[amikhchi]

tough to answer

I think anyone can study pretty much anything and become proficient at it (for the most part) but i think an intelligent person can do it more quickly or easily than a "non-intelligent" person.

 

[StormingWynn]

tough to answer

I think anyone can study pretty much anything and become proficient at it (for the most part) but i think an intelligent person can do it more quickly or easily than a "non-intelligent" person.

No that's what you call memory.

 

[amikhchi]

well, i'm not talking about memorizing information

like you have the people that study everyday for a week and struggle to end up with a 84, and you got the guy that studies the night before and ends up with a 97

but even then i dunno... what does the dictionary say?

 

[LiveUninhibited]

Intelligence is a pretty broad concept. There are many kinds of it, but basically it's your ability to utilize information to achieve your ends, whether that be arriving at the truth (logic), manipulating somebody (social), trapping the enemy king in chess, or creating meaningful music. The MCAT does measure some forms of intelligence, but it's a relatively thin sliver, though it seems to be a relatively relevant sliver for pre-clinical success.

 

[7starmantis]

Intelligence = Adaptability

So if I score a 15 on the VR portion I'm at the top of the intelligence spectrum?

 

[GTV]

I definitely think that there are two types of people who excel: those who work hard, and those who are naturally "intelligent." The former usually have the high GPAs and the latter have the high MCAT. It's difficult to quantify, but I do think that standardized test performance does measure general intelligence to a certain extent. (Too bad I suck at standardized tests. Yes, I do believe that I am, for all practical purposes, less intelligent than those who have a higher MCAT)

 

[wjdghks]

Not believing in god.

 

[NNukibw77]

Not using sd to take a cheap shot at theism.

 

[apumic]

Not using sd to take a cheap shot at theism.

^Actually, that's technically true as it shows tolerance, a construct that is generally correlated with people of higher levels of intelligence.... (Or more precisely, the opposite is more true; that is, a lack of tolerance, e.g., taking shots at others' beliefs on SDN, shows a lack of intelligence, especially social intelligence as well as general curiosity, another indicator of high levels of intelligence...)

 

[StormingWynn]

Intelligence = Adaptability

So if I score a 15 on the VR portion I'm at the top of the intelligence spectrum?

No, you're god and I'll worship you. Pfft yeah right. Losers believeing that the VR is a good measure of ones intelligence.

 

[Shinobiz11]

The ability to do what you need in a smart, simple, and impressive fashion

 

[sportsfreak]

ability to make the right decisions

 

[J ROD]

Being able to get the right answer on a multiple choice test better than the rest....

intelligence is based on the subject matter in question.

hence, we are truly intelligent in things we know.....

 

[LiveUninhibited]

^Actually, that's technically true as it shows tolerance, a construct that is generally correlated with people of higher levels of intelligence.... (Or more precisely, the opposite is more true; that is, a lack of tolerance, e.g., taking shots at others' beliefs on SDN, shows a lack of intelligence, especially social intelligence as well as general curiosity, another indicator of high levels of intelligence...)

But logical intelligence would demand taking fair shots at all belief systems to test their validity, albeit maybe in an anonymous medium, like a forum, where you can reincarnate yourself if you alienate people to the extent you can't utilize them.

 

[Lokhtar]

Solving math problems. Math is the only totally abstract thing that we know (art, music as well, but abilities in those are hard to measure quantitatively). I'd say the better you are at math, the smarter you are overall.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

Solving math problems. Math is the only totally abstract thing that we know (art, music as well, but abilities in those are hard to measure quantitatively). I'd say the better you are at math, the smarter you are overall.

Mathematical reasoning may be the most widely applicable form of intelligence, but there are other forms.

 

[Algophiliac]

Mathematical reasoning may be the most widely applicable form of intelligence, but there are other forms.

For example it is often said the VR section of the MCAT measures intelligence most accurately. I always found that odd, considering that some individuals do not speak English as their first language, don't read as much as others, or experience other unequal factors. Are they then really less intelligent?

Also, I find that a poor math background can impact math SAT scores negatively...not as much reasoning is involved as simply prior knowledge of how some problems must be solved to achieve the correct answer.

So maybe just a logical reasoning test would measure intelligence accurately? But again, is intelligence just...logic?

 

[Lokhtar]

Fact that you can improve at something by studying means its not an intelligence test. You could easily improve at logical reasoning too, if you took a class before.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

Fact that you can improve at something by studying means its not an intelligence test. You could easily improve at logical reasoning too, if you took a class before.

I have strong doubts that intelligence is purely innate and cannot increase or deteriorate by environment. Most tests measure both intelligence and knowledge to some extent. Though the MCAT does seem to make an effort to move more towards the intelligence side than tests in college courses did, a level of knowledge is required and advanced knowledge can allow somebody to obviate using intelligence in some of the passages for BS and PS. That is less the case for VR. If anything, my knowledge of humanities was something I had to block out in order to focus on the content of the passage.

 

[Lokhtar]

But learning is not equal to environment, right? If by environment, you mean early childhood development in terms of brain growth, nutrition, etc. If I can teach you something, your IQ didn't go up, you just had more knowledge.

I'll give you an example, I tend to score 14s and 15s on the Verbal generally but on my practice I score 7s and 8s (have six months to improve ). I guarantee you that others who studied for the LSAT like I did and/or had a major that required much reading like I did would also score 14s and 15s. It's not innate intelligence. You can improve VR like anything else, you just have to read more and it takes longer. Different methodology, it doesn't mean it's related to intelligence.

Before we can figure out if we can test intelligence, we have to nail down the definition of what intelligence is. I don't think we've done that adequately in my opinion - even if my psych professor disagrees.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

But learning is not equal to environment, right? If by environment, you mean early childhood development in terms of brain growth, nutrition, etc. If I can teach you something, your IQ didn't go up, you just had more knowledge.

No I didn't say environment is the only contributer, just that it contributes. I do think that practice using knowledge can increase intelligence, it's just a question of by how much and how rigid the range is for each person.

I'll give you an example, I tend to score 14s and 15s on the Verbal generally but on my practice I score 7s and 8s (have six months to improve ). I guarantee you that others who studied for the LSAT like I did and/or had a major that required much reading like I did would also score 14s and 15s. It's not innate intelligence. You can improve VR like anything else, you just have to read more and it takes longer. Different methodology, it doesn't mean it's related to intelligence.

I don't know if I understand your example. But I can guarantee you that if I practiced IQ tests over the years my score would go up.

Before we can figure out if we can test intelligence, we have to nail down the definition of what intelligence is. I don't think we've done that adequately in my opinion - even if my psych professor disagrees.

Well what does he say? I like ability to use knowledge, which is distinct from ability to acquire (observational skills) and recall knowledge (memory). When we call somebody smart or sharp we tend to assume they have all three, I suppose. Have you ever seen Memento? Was the guy intelligent and observant? Yes. The fact that he had no ability to form new memories does not make him unintelligent, though it makes him less able to utilize it because he has less knowledge to work with.