Intelligence and Individual differences

1. D R . Y A S H I V E R M A
A S S I S T A N T P R O F E S S O R
I N T E G R A L U N I V E R S I T Y
Child Development and
Pedagogy

2. Contents
 Critical perspective of Construct of Intelligence
 Multi- Dimensional Intelligence
 Individual differences among learners

3. The Oxford Dictionary explains intelligence as the power of
perceiving, learning,understanding and knowing.
 Alfred Binet defined intelligence as the ability to judge well,
understand well and reason well.
Concept of IQ
The term intelligence quotient or IQ relates to
a mathematical formula that is has been developed to measure a
person's intelligence. In the beginning, it was defined as the ratio of
mental age (MA) to chronological age (CA) multiplied by 100.
MA/CA X 100= IQ
INTELLIGENCE

4. Various types of Quotients
Emotional Intelligence: It is the ability to monitor one’s own and
other’s emotions , to discriminate among them and to use the
information to guide one’s thinking and actions. Emotional Quotient
(EQ) is used to express emotional intelligence.
Social Intelligence: An index of social maturity, based on the ratio
definition of the intelligence quotient or IQ, the social quotient being
defined as social age divided by chronological age, the ratio then
being multiplied by 100. Hence SQ = (SA/CA) × 100.
 Spiritual Intelligence: Spiritual intelligence is a term used by
some philosophers, psychologists, and developmental theorists to
indicate spiritual parallels with IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and EQ
(Emotional Quotient). It is the adaptive use of spiritual information to
facilitate everyday problem solving and goal attainment.

5. Characteristics of Intelligence
Various characteristics of intelligence are as under:
•Intelligence is inborn. It cannot be acquired.
•Intelligence of every person is different.
•Intelligence does not differ due to sex differences.
•Environment training and education also affect it.
•Heredity affects intelligence.
•Intelligence and knowledge are closely related.
•It helps in learning and in adjustment.
•Environment also affect it.
•It helps in solving complex problems.
•It is an ability to gather experience.
•Is an ability to do intellectual works.
•It is an ability to face social situations,
•It is a group of abilities.
•It is not knowledge but is related to knowledge.
•t is not talent. It is basic ability and practiced skill.
•It is not memory.
•It is not a skill. Skill can be learnt but not intelligence.

6. Criteria of a good intelligence test
•Objectivity: The test should be free from subjective—judgement
regarding the ability, skill, knowledge, trait or potentiality to be
measured and evaluated.
• Reliability: This refers to the extent to which they obtained results
are consistent or reliable.
• Validity: It refers to extent to which the test measures what it
intends to measure.
• Norms: Norms refer to the average performance of a
representative sample on a given test.
• Practicability: The test should not be too lengthy and difficult to
answer as well as scoring.

7. Multi- Dimensional Intelligences
Theories of Intelligence: To understand the nature and form
of intelligence, different theories are as under :
•Unitary Theory or Monarchic Theory
•Group Factor Theory or Oligarchic Theory
•Multiple Factor Theory or Anarchic Theory
•Two Factor Theory or Eclectic Theory
•Theory of Primary Mental Ability
•Kelley’s Theory of Intelligence

8. Multiple Intelligence
Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences proposes that people are
not born with all of the intelligence they will ever have.
This theory challenged the traditional notion that there is one single type of
intelligence, sometimes known as “g” for general intelligence, that only
focuses on cognitive abilities.
To broaden this notion of intelligence, Gardner introduced eight different
types of intelligences consisting
of: Linguistic, Logical/Mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-
Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalist.
Gardner notes that the linguistic and logical-mathematical modalities are
most typed valued in school and society.
Gardner also suggests that there may other “candidate” intelligences—such
as spiritual intelligence, existential intelligence, and moral intelligence—but
does not believe these meet his original inclusion criteria.

10. Individual Differences Among Learners
Most theories of learning are attempts to describe universal human
traits in learning.They ‘seek to explain globally how people perceive,
filter, store, and recall information’. (Brown, 1994:103)
2 These models of learning do not account for the plethora of
differences across individuals in the way they learn.While we all
exhibit inherently human traits of learning, every individual
approaches a problem or learns a set of facts from a unique
perspective.
3 Other than individual traits such as intelligence, motivation,
attitude, personality, level of first language, empathy and age,
cognitive variations such as aptitude, learning styles and learning
strategies do encourage or inhibit second language learning.

11. 4. The development of individualised instruction is partly due to a
wish to release the learners from the need to work at the same
rate.Another possibility is to stream students into different classes
for different levels of aptitude, say highfliers, average, and below
average. Providing different teaching methods and final exams for
different types of aptitude might not be such a good ideas as this
would be a luxury in terms of staffing and expertise.
Moreover, the student whose performance is dismal in one subject
may be gifted in another.
Thus, only in individualised or self-directed learning perhaps can this
be overcome.It is common knowledge among teachers that learners
differ in their preferences in language learning.Some need to learn
grammatical rules, others claim to know them intuitively.Some
cannot remember anything unless they write it down, other have
very good memories.

12. These have been attributed to differences in cognitive or learning styles in
individuals.
Learning styles mediate between emotion and cognition and refer to “the
ways a student prefers to go about learning” (Chitravelu et al.,
1995:11)Cognitive style has also been defined as “a person’s typical ways of
thinking, seen as a continuum between field-dependent cognitive style in
which thinking relates to context and field-independent style in which it is
independent of context”
7 In second language learning, it may be incorrect to assume that learners
should be either field-dependent or field-independent.It is more likely that
people have general inclinations, but given certain contexts, can exercise
some degree of an appropriate style.
8 Learners of different learning styles employ different strategies of learning
As such, Chitravelu suggests that a teacher should be sensitive to and
accommodate the students’ preferences for learning styles and strategies to
bring about “improved learner satisfaction and attainment”.