Triarchic Theory of Intelligence - Term Paper Example

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence Abstract Human intelligence varies in many ways and works according to the environment he or she is in. This paper will describe and discuss the theories that have been formed by renowned psychologists Das and Nagleiri and also Sternberg and Howard Gardner. This paper will tend to describe in a creative and practical way the model of intelligence in a different situation. Introduction There are several theories and research that define the nature of intelligence. Intelligence is usually the mental capacity that enables an individual to think, perform and apply conceptual understanding within the environment that he or she belongs. Additionally there are many other several factors that act upon an individuals intelligence and their behaviour. We shall now discuss few theories that have been used to explain the process of intelligence. Factual The PASS theory or the Planning, Attention-Arousal, Simultaneous and Successive model was introduced in the year 1975 by Das, Kirby and Jarman. Later it was further refined and explained by Das, Nagleiri and Kirby. This challenges the concept of the g-theory over the fact that neuropsychological research has constantly shown that the human brain which is made up of interdependent, but different, functional system. The PASS theory divides intelligence into four interconnected cognitive process. Among the four the first is the process of planning in which, we see the ability of a person to think and make decision, to find solution to a problem and also to perform. This study also consists of setting targets, anticipating consequences and the ability to use feedback. Planning also consist the attention-arousal, simultaneous and successive processing function. The second factor in cognitive processing is the attention-arousal. Here the ability of an individual is based on how selectively he or she can attend to a stimulus while ignoring other distraction. People who suffer from Attention deficit disorder or ADD have a problem or injury in this area. The brain stem and the thalamus are generally associated with the process of arousal function. The third process is the Simultaneous processing, where the ability of language comprehension is necessary. It is the process of integrating a stimulus into a whole form. Lastly, the final process in the four cognitive process of the PASS theory is the successive processing. In this process the ability to combine a stimulus into sequential order comes into act. This is where an individual prepares his letters and numbers in a sequential form. (Das, 2007) The PASS theory, explains the information which is received, first comes at the senses from the external and internal source, when this happens then the four cognitive processes activate itself to figure out the meaning of the information within the context of the persons knowledge base. However, the same information which is received can be process in many various ways. The theory provides a guide for the Das-Nagleri cognitive assessment system. This was developed to examine a person’s intellectual functioning and it also provides information about cognitive strengths and weakness in each of the four processes. The CAS is capable of seeing the learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder. The cognitive assessment system is usually tested with children and adolescents aged between five through seventeen. (Das, 2007; Heidi, 2008) One of the properties of the PASS theory of cognitive theory process is that, it has proved to be a useful tool for both intellectual as well as educational intervention. The PASS theory provides a framework for the PASS reading enhancement programme which is a tool for improved planning, attention and information processing strategies that goes along with reading. A similar strategy has been designed to help students with their mathematical difficulties. However, the beginning of the cognitive assessment system goes back to the work of A. R. Lauria. The research initiated by Das is based upon the simultaneous and successive style of information processing as described by Luria. The CAS has three points included in the study done by Luria. The first point regulates cortical tones and also focuses on attention. The second point receives processes and retains information in two basic styles which is simultaneous and successive and finally the third point involves around the formation. (Das, 2007) Cognitive assessment is fully reliable and adequate. The factor of explanatory and confirmatory analyses provides support for either three or four factor solution. The PASS dimension consists of the four factor solution, whereas the three factor solution unifies planning and attention to form a solitary dimension. Special population which includes children and adolescents with impairments such as reading disability, mental retardation, traumatic brain injury, serious emotional disturbance and intellectual giftedness. The CAS has its own significance among the various test of cognitive abilities and processes as shown by studies and several research based programmes of intervention. Like many other test of intelligence that has been conducted for children and adolescents CAS is also empirically linked to an achievement test. Cognitive assessment system permits the recognition of impaired cognitive processes that may add to the learning problem. The knowledge requirement in the cognitive assessment system is very low. However, CAS also offers an intellectual assessment approach that may reduce the huge number of minority children placed in special education settings. This type of development in children has been studied in various ways, the oldest being the IQ test. Let us now discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the cognitive assessment system. The CAS and the PASS theory foresee the achievement and also provide an ability achievement discrepancy procedure. The system facilitates the recognition of attention deficit and hyperactive disorder, traumatic brain injury and various other impairments which we have discussed above. The cognitive system can also be used to figure out the eligibility, re-evaluation and instruction planning. On the other hand, the theory also has its disadvantage this is due to the fact that it takes a long time and also a lot of hard work. A proper knowledge of all the subjects should be known such as test development, psychometric, statistics and so on. A person has to be comfortable with these tests. A personal creativity and understanding the needs is also needed to be known. We have now seen the PASS theory and cognitive definition of intelligence. Further we shall discuss the theories put forward by Sternberg and Gardner. (Bushing, 2008, Irvin et al, 2003, Wagner, 2008) Analytical The precise theory that explains the nature of intelligence is under the scrutiny of psychologist to give a better understanding of human intellect. One of which we are going to discuss here is made by Robert Sternberg’s study of triarchic nature of intelligence. This theory of Sternberg represents an appropriate explanation of the nature of intelligence. The theory suggests that analytical, creative, and practical abilities constitute intelligence, and that these three abilities work together, when working with the person’s inner world, experience and environment. The theory of Sternberg also includes three modules of information processing in the shape of knowledge acquisition components, meta-components and performance components. These components help in resolving each others problems. (Bushing, 2008) Many have accepted the theories of Sternberg human intelligence and also that it is the best representation of the same. Sternberg recognizes the idea of general intelligence, while being founded by the multiple aspect of intelligence. As long as the brain is functioning hence the person’s intelligence must interact with itself, the past experience and the surrounding environment. The acknowledgment of the interaction is very important to Sternberg’s research of human intelligence. A person cannot run away or hide when it comes to dealing with him or himself and the outside world and therefore the need to value the intellect within the given situation. The study of Sternberg calls for cooperation elements of the intellect and their relationship to the inner world, experience and the exterior world. Prior experience is a something that affects the individual based upon this he or she will react in any given situation. The experience gained in the past can have a great influence on a person’s intelligence. Everybody wasn’t to live in a peaceful and happy environment and for this the person will always be ready to adapt according to the environment given to them. (Armstrong, 2000; Irving et al, 2003) The Sternberg’ theory stresses in the amount of association between the multiple intellects components. Sternberg’s explanation was of interacting the analytical, creativity and the practicality ability and how they would behave according to the person, the experiences and the surroundings. His explanation of intelligence is quiet acceptable because when someone enters an undertaking or contract he or she automatically draws upon themselves the three factors of intelligence to function. No matter what the situation, the person will strive to succeed and do his or her best given the persons ability for analysing, creativity and practicality. Of all the factors the Information component is best used to describe the Sternberg nature of intelligence. A person need to learn something different will urge him or her to access information from different sources and data for the same. This is called the knowledge-acquisition component. On the other hand, meta-components will help in examining these data while the performance component will follow the meta-components. Therefore we can see that the triarchic theory of human intelligence is a way for the intellect to behave in different types of challenges, by stressing on the analytical, creative and the practical abilities of intelligence to solve issues or problems. If a person is weak in one are then maybe he is strong in other. Hence, Sternberg’s theory applies to functioning intellects. (Bushing, 2008) Another psychologist by the name of Howard Gardner proposed a theory of Intelligence. This was called the theory of multiple intelligence in which Gardner debates that the distinct nature of each type of intelligence, but his separation of the various aspects of intelligence is unrealistic. Gardner put forward the theory, that the numerical expressions of human intelligence are not entirely accurate to show peoples abilities. There are eight different types of intelligence that Gardner had come up with which are based on the skills and talents that are valued within different culture. (Armstrong, 2000) These eight different types of Intelligence are: Visual-Spatial Intelligence Verbal-linguistic Intelligence Logical-mathematical Intelligence Interpersonal Intelligence Musical Intelligence Naturalistic Intelligence Bodily-kinaesthetic Intelligence Intrapersonal Intelligence (Bushing, 2008) Gardner was under the impression that psychometric theories of intelligence are too restricted, he portrayed that people had various type of intelligence to capture the full range of abilities and talents that people hold. However, the theory of Gardner has come under the scrutiny and criticism of many other researches, psychologist and educators. They held the opinion that his theory defines the Human Intelligence in a very brad manner and that his eight different type of intelligence is actually a representation of a persons talents, personality and abilities traits. His theory also suffers from explaining or supporting empirical research. The bright of side multiple intelligence is that it has caught the attention of many educators around the nation and many school are currently using its methods to redesign the way it teaches children. However, the bad news is that there are still many schools that still teach in the old fashioned way, through dry lectures and boring worksheet and textbooks. The vital role is to get the information out to as many teachers and school who are responsible for children and who work with them, so that each child has the opportunity to learn in ways that is unique with their frame of mind. The theory of multiple intelligence, usually asks for a major change in how the school system is run. It suggests that teachers be trained in the wide variety and present their teaching using different ways such as music, cooperative learning, art, activities, role play, multimedia and many other ways. (Wagner, 2008) Since now that we have explained both the theories put forward which have been described by Sternberg and Gardner we shall now see how these theories affect children. It is usually seen that children with high ability skills and who are gifted require no special education or support. On the other hand, children who lack the ability which are not appreciated and cultivated, they may be at a risk of underachievement. People who are usually in charge of the children play a vital role in providing both intellectual and emotional guidance. They support the children through difficult times and also help them achieve their strengths. Children who are creative and gifted usually get a complex cognitive process and also a wide range of emotion that may be held in delicate balance. Children usually struggle to be perfect and this process they become self critical and also dissatisfied. They are filled with inferiority complex. Some children are always under the threat of social humiliation related to being gifted, which may contribute to the growth of insecurity towards their talents and abilities. Usually an intelligence test is given to students to test their abilities in logical, verbal and mathematical intelligence. However, these tests usually do not study the artistic and creative potential or other abilities such as emotional intelligence, social competence or leadership ability. Therefore, the theories of Sternberg come in the act as children too face the challenges in various form and they have to identify each of them according to their intelligence level. Many students and children have the ability to perceive things process them accordingly in the different components as described above. Students are constantly competing with each other and they have to form the three types of process that is being analytical, creative and practical in their approach. What we see here is that gifted and talented students and children are those who are recognized by their outstanding abilities and high performance. This kind of children does require services and activities which are not usually provided by schools. Outstanding performances are present and seen from children from all cultural background, economic status and human endeavour. However, we should remember that children who posses talent are not necessary intelligent in all fields. Most standardized tests are not even valid for children below the age of seven. Some children may be great in one area but may lack the ability to perform or react to another. The behaviour pattern of the child is the best representation of his or her talents. In today’s world it has readily accepted that the child’s intellectual ability is determined by a combination of hereditary and environment. However, the genetics inheritance of a child is unchangeable. There are other ways that guardians and parents can enhance their children’s intellectual growth through the environment factors. (Wagner, 2008) Parents can give their child learning materials and experience from the very beginning at a proper age when the brain is developing. Reading, talking and exploring things together can help in the development of the child. As they mature, parents can support the talents of the child. A supportive surrounding for a child can be an advantage, it is possible for early losses in the cognitive development if the supportive nature is given at a later stage which may cause early disruption in physical development and sometimes this process is irreversible. Creativity Let us know apply what we have discussed so far by the above theories into a model of a ship and its captain and see how the different process of intelligence comes into action. A captain of his ship often called the Master. He is in control of everything and has to be responsible for his action to his superiors and even to his crew member. The captain has to think about the welfare of his vessel and its members at all times. Therefore, the various components that we have discussed earlier can be fitted here in this model. The knowledge-acquisition component comes into action when the data and information of his ship and the weather information and the distance to be travelled are all required by the captain. On the other hand, the performance intelligence comes into play when he has to decide on matters that are very crucial and his decision can affect the members. We can define this model by being a little creative. The human Captain and his human flock sailing on a vast never ending expanse of rolling waves. The ship from afar looks like a match box about to be gulped by the waters any minute. The unpredictable weather happily changes its moods with no care for anyone. The intelligent Captain is for ever alert, in mind and body cause he never knows when the supernatural may occur. While all the gadgets inside the Captains Cabin are by far the latest and best, he knows that failure can happen at a moments notice and then all he has to guide his ship, crew and himself is his own Intelligence. Now what is that Intelligence? A daunting task for the most capable of sea going Captains is reaching their destination safely. The guidance of the ship is the most important task before the Captain. The factors guiding this aspect are basically the Captains own personal knowledge and sea faring experience. His courage comes out in trying to overcome the inclement weather conditions. His competency is of controlling the mind and the body, in the most distressful conditions. His intelligence to control the minds and functions of all his crew members to the extent that at a signal from him they know what it is he wants them to do. He has a knack of being able to assess other minds. If he is a strict disciplinarian and goes only by the book, what happens? Disaster strikes, panic buttons are pressed all around, complete chaos. At that moment what works is only intelligence and no words in the Captains book help. The alert, active and highly responsive cells in the brain dish out intelligence as no school teacher would be able to fathom, no book be able to guide. The moment counts, lives have to be saved; actions taken are spontaneous and cannot be reversed. Win or lose you have to think and act. The sea, the wind, the currents, the storm clouds, the rocking ship and the fear of capsizing have to be contained with the greatest of intelligence backed with the courage to succeed to save. The cells in the brain are functioning at the speed of light if not faster to grasp and assess all the possibilities. The time for surmising or contemplating is long over. It is the time to apply Intelligence. To gauge the fear and the mood of the crew who are terrified into one thing, the Captains guidance. Practical Well here we go; it’s been said by a worthy person that there is no scale that can measure the application of a practical mind functioning at super speed with the maximum of simple common sense. The good Doctor in this case would positively not open his Medical Books or Journals or even refer to his own Medical Degree. On the contrary he would apply his own mind, intelligence as we know it is the quick thinking mind moving in the right direction to alleviate the immediate problem, at which particular moment nothing else matters. There is a saying that highly intelligent persons never let their schooling come in the way of their education, and accordingly the grey and white cells in our brains, if always healthy and alert, assimilate knowledge continuously while also dishing it out. There is and can never be any reason for not being able to assess a particular problem if the mind is active, alert and healthy to grasp that immediate situation. Take the Captain of the Ship; say he is a strict disciplinarian and goes only by the book, what happens? Disaster strikes, panic buttons are pressed all around, complete chaos. At that moment what works is only intelligence and no words in the Captains book help. The alert, active and highly responsive cells in the brain dish out intelligence as no school teacher would be able to fathom, no book be able to guide. The moment counts, lives have to be saved; actions taken are spontaneous and cannot be reversed. Win or lose you have to think and act. The aspects to be taken into serious consideration are the ways and means the Captain or the Doctor apply themselves to the immediate problem and not what they have learnt in their school or College. The boy or girl going to school and college will have to face situations and problems in the real life scenario which will have no bearing whatsoever in their past limited education as it is not the books that will guide them in life, But their own Intelligence springing from their practical, alert, and active minds, It is the Brain helps as it is the Brain which generates intelligence as well as dishing it out. The Brain is the root of all thought and action and I strongly believe that we must think before we speak or act. The aspects and factors that I would consider are positively not the Doctors or Captains educational qualifications but I would try to look into the minds of these persons to assess the depth of their common sense, basic instincts, practicality, aptitude, application of the correct methods (which need not necessarily be the theoretical ones from the book) and above their faith in themselves that they are doing the right thing. A diagnosis by the Doctor could prove to be fatal. WHY? Proper general intelligence mixed with the right ingredient from the medical book along with proper application has not been done. The Doctor needs to re-invent himself. The Doctor who is Intelligent would, I feel as a strong factor, make his patient so comfortable ,relaxed and happy that it would be the patient who would be diagnosing himself in the eyes of the Doctor and the Doctor would know more about his patient than necessary to cure him pronto. The mere presence of a Doctor has cured many school children not wanting to go to school. Measuring all the factors is a gigantic task and would need me to write volumes. Suffice it is to say that whether it is a Doctor or the Captain of a Ship, both need plenty of plain common sense, practical experience, fast reflexes in the brain, how they apply themselves to help cure a patient, or guide a Ship. A Doctor’s intelligence in this context is basically his in depth vision, outlook, competency to assess the friend’s disease and application of the correct method to cure it. The Doctors outlook should be to take the patient into full confidence and the trust should emanate from the attitude of the Doctor. The greatest factor that I would consider to be the biggest achievement of the Doctor would be that he has gained the complete trust and confidence of his patient and thereafter his surrealistic method to improve the patient’s condition for a long time to come. His intelligence would stem from his own thoughts and applications to the same. Love, affection, trust, soothing words, and sincere motive to heal and above all patience to understand are the other factors. In conclusion let us wind up and summarize what we have discussed so far. We have now established a somewhat clearer picture that defines Intelligence. The intelligence level of an individual is affected by many factors. The day to day function and duties that he or she has to perform can have a great impact on their intelligence level and this cannot be ignored in the study of Intelligence. A proper knowledge and education is required to expand the mental capabilities of a person. We live in a world which is full of challenges and our mind needs to adapt to it so that it may react accordingly and unless a person mind is not well informed about the situation not only will they make their life miserable but also the others who are dependent on him or her. However, this form of challenges that keep coming in our way helps our brain to be active and also it keep developing so that we may not suffer but also that others benefits from our talents and abilities. Therefore, the need to develop the student and children intelligence level has become necessary as now the times have become very completive and they have to be informed about everything that is there to know. A proper standard should be given so has to have a well balance, educated individual. There are so many ways that the intelligence level of the person can be measured. However, the most effective one is that Sternberg which many have agreed. As described earlier Sternberg’s theory states that a person needs to have an analytical, creative and practical approach of intelligence when faced with a challenge. He also states that no one is has all the intelligence. If one has the ability to perform a certain task perfectly he or she may not perform in the similar way towards another task. Therefore, the theory put forward by Sternberg is readily accepted everywhere. Refertrences 1. Armstrong, T.(2000) Multiple Intelligence: http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm (accessed on 11th September 2008) 2. Bushing, B.(2008) Triarchic Theory of Intelligence: Available at: http://icherney.com/Teaching/Courses/intelligence/Science%20Papers/Brandon_Bushong.doc (accessed on 10th September 2008) 3. Cognitive development, (2001) Find Articles: Available at: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_004/ai_2699000417/pg_2?tag=artBody;col1 (accessed on 11th September 2008) 4. Das, J.P (2007) Human Intelligence: Available at: http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/das.shtml (accessed on 11th September 2008) 5. Heidi, W. (2008) Children Who Are Gifted, Talented, and Creative: Available at: http://homepages.luc.edu/~hweiman/Gifted.html (accessed on 11th September 2008) 6. Irving, W.B. Freedheim, D. K, Schinka, J.A., Gallagher, M., Velicer, W. F, Goldstein, A.M., Nelson, R.J. and Lerner, R. M. (2003) Handbook of Psychology: John Wiley & Sons. 7. Wagner, K.V (2008) Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence: Available at: http://psychology.about.com/od/educationalpsychology/ss/multiple-intell.htm (accessed on 11th September 2008) Read More