Howard Gardner – American Harvard Lecturer Intelligence is the ability to solve problems or fashion products that are of consequence in particular cultural setting or community.’ (Gardner, Korn haber and Wake 1996 p 203).
Intelligence = Potential. Wide spectrum of intelligences. 1. Logical – Mathematical 2. Linguistic 3.
Musical 4. Spatial – sense of direction 5. Bodily – Kinaesthetic 6. Interpersonal – between people 7. Intra personal – knowing self 8. Naturalist – intelligent with environment Evidence for MI – Brain-damaged people.
Individuals who were once ‘normal’ display a breakdown on capacity in one area of functioning. – Savants. These are individuals who score low on IQ tests but who display a remarkable ability for a particular skill. – Prodigies. These are individuals who posses remarkable skills in certain areas and yet are unexceptional in other areas.
– Experimental psychology. Some abilities operate independently and this has been shown from studies. – Psychometric findings. The autonomy of the seven intelligences is further demonstrated by the lack of correlation between similar IQ scores and scores on tests for specific MI fields. – Evolution. The ways in which certain attributes develop naturally, e.
g. language whilst other abilities do not go beyond the initial stage. E. g. mathematical ability.
Crit isms of MI – Psychology does not observe intelligence as a monolithic structure. A supporter of IQ would state that IQ is not meant to reflect the range of human abilities rather it represents a sample of intellectual performance. – MI confuses intelligence, personality and areas of special ability. – Social considerations have motivated MI theory more than scientific considerations. Society values some skills more than others therefore they are more likely to be deemed to be indicators of intelligence. – The seven areas are not entirely autonomous; degrees of correlation have been uncovered.
– If MI’s are truly autonomous then there must be an overarching processing centre or executive function. – On the application front, which has mainly been education, MI theory has been criticised for not giving concrete examples as to how the theory can be applied in an education setting.