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When considering animal intelligence, a more general definition of intelligence might be applied: the "ability to adapt effectively to the environment, either by making a change in oneself or by changing the environment or finding a new one" ( Encyclopædia Britannica).
Intelligence tests are often used to quantify human intelligence. This is not without controversy; see below for more information.Some thinkers have explored the idea of collective intelligence, arising from the coordination of many people. Computer science has developed the field of artificial intelligence, which seeks to make computers act in increasingly intelligent ways. Many people have also speculated about the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Intelligence, narrowly defined, can be measured by intelligence tests (see IQ). They are among the most accurate (reliable and valid) psychological tests, but they are not intended to measure creativity, personality, character, or wisdom. Intelligence tests take many forms, but they all measure the same intelligence. The general factor measured by each intelligence test is known as g (see g theory).
Some researchers have proposed that intelligence is not a single quantity or concept, but really consists of a set of relatively independent abilities. Yale psychologist Robert J. Sternberg has proposed a Triarchic Theory of IntelligenceSternberg is a prominent figure in the research of human intelligence. His triarchic theory was groundbreaking in that it was among the first to go against the psychometric approach to intelligence and take a more cognitive approach. Sternberg’s definitio. Harvard psychologist Howard GardnerHoward Gardner (born 1943 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA)is a cognitive and educational psychologist based at Harvard University best known for his theory of multiple intelligences. In 1981 he was awarded a MacArthur Prize Fellowship. His most famous book's theory of multiple intelligencesThe theory of multiple intelligences is a theory proposed by developmental psychologist Howard Gardner in 1983. He proposes that people have several kinds of " intelligence", and that teachers can only reach all of their students by adapting their lessons, for example, breaks intelligence down into the seven different components: logical, linguistic, spatial, musical, kinesthetic, intra-personal and inter-personal intelligences. Daniel Goleman and several other researchers have developed the concept of emotional intelligenceThe expression emotional intelligence or EI indicates a kind of intelligence or skill that involves the ability to perceive, assess and positively influence one's own and other people's emotions. Mayer and Salovey's Four Branch Model of Emotional Intellig and claim it is at least as important as more traditional sorts of intelligence.
Proponents of multiple-intelligence theories often claim that g is, at best, a measure of academic ability. Other types of intelligence, they claim, might be just as important outside of a school setting. One theory even suggests the existence of two types of g (see Fluid and crystallized intelligenceFluid and crystallized intelligences are the terms that Raymond Cattell (1905-1998) used to describe what he felt were two different measures of intelligence. Cattell defined intelligence in his 1936 book, Guide to Mental Testing as follows: "…abilities m).
In response, g theorists have argued that multiple intelligences have not been borne out when actually tested (Hunt 2001) and that g actually has a substantial impact on personal affairs.