Intelligence
10 Pages 2453 Words
Intelligence has been defined by prominent researchers in the field as :
Binet and Simon (1905): the ability to judge well, to understand well, to reason well.
Terman (1916): the capacity to form concepts and to grasp their significance.
Wechsler (1939): the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with the environment.
Gardner (1986): the ability or skill to solve problems or to fashion products which are valued within one or more cultural settings.
Detailed definition of intelligence:
Life is essentially a relationship between a living organism and its environment, but it is a permanently threatened and unstable equilibrium. As long as the equilibrium between the organism and its environment is maintained, no further adaptation is required and the living process remains automatic. But when an obstacle, a hesitation or a choice occurs, this blind activity becomes insufficient and consciousness appears.Consciousness is not yet synonymous with intelligence; it is first a feeling or a need but not truly a thought-up relationship or the conscious awareness of a relationship.
To be intelligent is to understand, and to understand means to be aware of relationships. Judgment is what makes us aware of relationships.To be intelligent is also to be able to solve new problems or to deal with open-ended situations. In other words, it is about discovering relationships or being capable of invention. Thus, all intelligent action is characterized by the comprehension of relationships between the given elements and a finding out of what has to be done, given those relationships, to create new relationships, solve a difficulty or reach a desired goal. To study intelligence is therefore to study judgment and invention.
Logicians have defined judgment as the assertion of a relationship between two ideas. To say: "dog is a mammal" is to establish a relationship between the...