Article Intelligent
Article Intelligent
The difference between being smart, educated and intelligent
I've always been fascinated by the subject intelligence. As a child my mother would refer to me as "smart" but I quickly noticed that all parents regard their children as smart. Eventually, I discover that all children are not smart, just as all babies are not cute. If this was the case, we would have a world full of beautiful, intelligent people – which we do not.
Some of us are smart, but not as smart as we think and others are smarter than they look, which makes me wonder how we define smart? What makes a person smarter than another? When "street smarts" matters more than "book smarts"? Can you be both smart and stupid? Is being smart more influenced by genetics or your environment?
Then there is the issue of education, intelligence and wisdom.
What does it mean to be educated? What's the difference between being highly educated and highly intelligent? Is highly skilled automatically make you very intelligent? Can be highly intelligent without being educated? Do IQS really anything? What makes a person wise? Why is wisdom typically associated with old age?
My desire to seek answers to these questions inspired many hours of intense research, which included the reading of six books, hundreds of research papers, and countless hours on the Internet, which pales in comparison with the lifetime of studies and research pioneers of intelligence and education as Howard Gardner, Richard Sternberg, Linda S. Gottfredson, Thomas Sowell, Alfie Kohn, and Diane F. Halpern, whose work mentioned in this article.
My goal was simple: gather, synthesize, and define data about what it means to be smart, educated and intelligent, so it can be understood and used by all to their advantage.
Prenatal Care
With this in mind, there was no one better (or more appropriate) place to start than at the beginning of our existence: as a fetus in the womb. There is a reason why they call it "prenatal" which means occurring, current or performed before birth.
There are still signs that consumption of foods high iron both before and during pregnancy is crucial to creating the prenatal brain. Researchers have found a strong correlation between low iron levels during pregnancy and reduced IQ. Foods rich in iron include lima beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, fish and shellfish, nuts, dried fruit, oatmeal, and fortified cereals.
Children with low iron status in the womb (in utero) scored lower on all tests and had significantly lower language skills, fine-motor skills, and traceability than children with higher prenatal iron levels. In essence, proper prenatal care is critical for the development of cognitive skills.
Cognitive skills
Cognitive skills are the basic mental abilities we use to think, study and learn. They cover a wide range of mental processes used to analyze the sound and images, recall information from memory, associations between different pieces of information and maintain concentration on specific tasks. They can be identified individually and measured. Cognitive skills, strength and efficiency correlates directly with students easily learn.
Drink, pregnancy, and its intellectual IMPACT
Drinking while pregnant is not smart. In fact, it's downright silly.
A study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has shown that even mild to moderate alcohol consumption – particularly in the second trimester – is associated with lower IQS offspring at 10 years of age. This result was particularly pronounced among African-American rather than white kids.
"IQ is a measure of the child's ability to learn and to survive in his or her surroundings. It predicts possibility for success in school and in everyday life. Although a small but significant percentage of children are diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) each year, many more children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy, which do not meet criteria for FAS yet experience deficits in growth and cognitive function, "says Jennifer A. Will Ford, Assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Paul D. Connor, clinical director of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Research Unit and assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington has this to say on the subject:
"There are a number of areas of cognitive function that can be reduced even in the face of a relatively normal IQ, including academic achievement (especially arithmetic), adaptive functioning, and executive functions (the ability to problem solve and learn from experience). Deficits in intellectual, achievement, adaptive and executive functioning could make it difficult to appropriately manage the finance function independently without help and understand the consequences of – or react appropriately to – mistakes. "
This is an important finding, which speaks directly to the (psychological) definition of intelligence which is addressed later in this article.
Ultra sounds
Studies have shown that the frequent exposure of the human fetus to ultrasound waves are associated with a decrease in newborn body weight, an increase in the incidence of left-handedness and delayed speech.
Because ultrasound energy is a high frequency mechanical vibrations, researchers hypothesized that it might influence the migration of neurons in a developing fetus. Neurons in mammals multiply early in fetal development and then migrate to their final destinations. Any interference or disturbance in the process can result in abnormal brain function.
Commercial companies (not ultrasound for "keepsake" purposes) is now developing more powerful ultrasound machines that provide popular 3D and 4D images. But the procedure last longer as they try to make 30-minute videos of the fetus in the womb.
The main stream magazine New Scientist reported the following: ultrasound scans can stop cells from dividing and make them commit suicide. Routine scans that have let doctors look at the fetus and internal organs of the last 40 years can affect the normal cell cycle.
On the FDA website this information is posted about ultrasound:
While ultrasound has been For many years, expectant women and their families need to know that the long-term effects of repeated ultrasound exposures on the fetus are not fully known. In light of all this is unknown, has a prenatal ultrasound for non-medical reasons is not a good idea.
NATURE inheritance and environment … The debate continues
Now that you are aware of some of the known factors that determine, enhance and affect intellectual development of an embryo it is time for conception. When this baby is born, which will be more crucial in the development of the intellect: nature (genetics) or care (environment)?
Apparently, for centuries, scientists and psychologists gone back and forth on this. I read many comprehensive studies and reports about this topic in the research phase of this article, and I think it's time to put this debate to rest. Both nature and nurture are equally important and must be fully respected in the intellectual development of all children. This should never be an either / or statement – why risk it?
A recent study shows that early intervention at home and in classroom can make a big difference for a child born into extreme poverty, according to Eric Türkheim, a psychologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The study concludes that although genetic makeup explain most of the differences in IQ for children in wealthier families, the environment – not genes – makes a major difference for minorities Children in low-income homes.
Specifically, what researchers call "heredity" – the degree to which genes influence IQ – was significantly lower for poor families. "When you are placed in a suitable environment, your genes start to take over," Mr. Türkheim said, " but in poor environments genes do not have this option. "
But there are reports that contradict these findings … kind.
Linda S. Gottfredson, a professor in Educational Studies at the University of Delaware, wrote in his article, The General Intelligence Factor, the environments shared by siblings have little to do with IQ. Many people still mistakenly believe that social, psychological and economic differences among families create lasting and significant differences in IQ.
She found that behavioral geneticists refer to such environmental effects as "shared" because they are common to siblings who grow up together. Her reports that heredity of IQ increases with age, it is to say to what extent genetics accounts for differences in IQ among individuals increases as people get older.
In his article she also refers to studies comparing identical and fraternal twins, published in the last decade by a group led by Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr., from University of Minnesota and other scholars indicate that about 40 percent of IQ differences among preschool children due to genetic differences but that heritability rises 60 percent of adolescence and to 80 percent by the end of adulthood.
And it is perhaps the most interesting bit of information, and relevant to this part of my article: With age between individuals in their developed intelligence come differences to mirror more closely their genetic differences. It seems that the effects of the environment on intelligence fade rather than grow with time.
Bouchard concludes that young children have in their lives imposed on them by parents schools and other servants of society, but as people get older they become more independent and tend to seek out the lives of niches that are most sympathetic to their genetic inclinations.
Breastfeeding increases INTELLIGENCE
Researchers from the Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand examined over 1000 children born between April and August 1977. During the period from birth to one year, they collected data on how these children have been fed.
Infants were then followed to 18 Over the years, the researchers gathered a range of cognitive and academic information about children including IQ, teacher ratings of school performance in reading and mathematics, and the results of standardized tests of reading comprehension, mathematics, and scholastic ability. The researchers also looked at number of passing grades achieved in national School Certificate examinations taken at the end of the third year of high school.
The results showed that the longer children had been breastfed, the higher they scored on one such test.
Talking to your CHILDREN make a difference
Thomas Sowell, author of Race, IQ, Black Crime, and facts liberals ignore uncovered some fascinating information that all parents should take to intelligence. He writes:
There is a strong case that black Americans suffer from a number of unfavorable environments. Studies show repeatedly that before they go to school, black children on average, exposed to a smaller vocabulary than white children, partly because of socio-economic factors.
While children from professional households typically exposed to a total of 2,150 different words each day, children from working class households has been postponed until 1250, and children from households on welfare only 620th
Yes, smart-sounding children often come from educated, professional, two parents environments where they pick up valuable language skills and vocabulary from his smart-sounding people.
Mr. Sowell continues: Black children are obviously not to blame for their poor socioeconomic status, but something the economic status are at work in black homes. Black people have not signed up for the "great mission" of the white middle class – the constant quest to stimulate intellectual growth and get their child into Harvard or Oxbridge
Elsie Moore of Arizona State University, Phoenix, studied black children adopted by either black or white parents, who were all middle class professionals. In an age of 7.5 years, those were in black home 13 IQ points after those raised in white homes.
ACCUMULATED ADVANTAGES
At this point in my research it dawned on me, and should be pretty obvious to you that many children are predisposed to be smart, educated and intelligent, just by their exposure to the influential factors which determine them long before they start school.
An informed mother, proper prenatal care skilled, communicative parents, and a nourishing environment in which to live, all add up to the accumulated benefits, articulate intellectual abilities. As you can see, some children have an unfair advantage from the start.
Malcolm Gladwell, author of top-selling book Outliers, wrote that "the accumulated benefits "is made possible by arbitrary rules … and such unfair advantages are everywhere." It is they who are successful, there is most likely to have the kind of social opportunities that lead to further success, "he writes." It is the rich who get the biggest tax cuts. This is the best student receiving the best instruction and most attention. "
With that in mind, we turn our attention to education and intelligence.
WHAT Does it mean to be well educated?
Alfie Kohn, author of the book What does it mean to be well educated? Travel issue gives the concept of well-trained to refer to a quality education you received, or anything about you? Does it describe what you've learned? Or what you remember?
I argues that there must be educated is all in the application the application and use of information. Information needed to become knowledge, and we all have heard knowledge is power.
Most people are aware of the shaky state of education in this country at some level. We tell our children that nothing is more important than getting a "good" education, and every year because of government budget gaps are teachers dismissed classes are condensed, schools are closed, and many educational programs – especially those that help the underprivileged – are cut.
The reality is if we do not really value education. We appreciate it as a business, an industrial, political ammunition, and as an accepted form of discrimination, but not for what it was intended: a means to enrich one's character and life through learning.
What we value as a society, athletes and entertainment they offer. The fact that a professional athlete makes more money in one season than most teachers in a region will make in their careers, is abhorrent. There is always money to build new sports arenas, but never enough to give teachers a decent (And deserved) raise.
Ironically, the best teachers do not go into the profession for money. They teach because it is a calling. Most of them were influenced by a very good teacher as a student. With the mass exodus of teachers, many students are unable to cultivate mentoring relationships as they once were able to, because so many leaving the profession – voluntarily and involuntarily – on average three years.
At the high school level, where I got my start, the weight is not about how to educate students to prepare them for life, or even college (all secondary schools should be college prep schools, right?), it was to prepare them to excel on their standardized tests. So the controversial "Exit" exam was implemented, and literally, many colleges turned into test centers. Learning has almost become secondary.
This mentality means over in college, which of course is a test you must take to enroll (SAT or ACT). This explains why so many university students are more concerned to complete a course than to learn from him. They are focused on getting "A's" and degrees, instead of being degreed thinkers. The latter, which are in greater demand by employers and covers most of the self. The "get-the-good-grade mindset is directly attributable to the relentless and often unnecessary tests that our students are exposed to in schools.
Alfie Kohn advocates "exhibition" of learning in which students reveal their understanding through in-depth projects, portfolios of tasks, and other demonstrations.
He quotes a model pioneered by Ted and Deborah number Meier. Meier has emphasized the importance of students having five "habits of mind" which is the value of raising questions about evidence ("How can we know what we know? "), view (" Who does this perspective represent? "), connections (" How this relates it? "), assumptions (" How could things have been otherwise? ") and relevance (" Why is this important? ").
Kohn writes: It is only the ability to raise and answer the questions, questions, however, but also the inclination to do so. For that matter, , any set of intellectual objectives, a description of what it means to think deeply and critically, be accompanied by a reference to anyone's interest or intrinsic motivation to do such thinking … to be well educated then, is to have the desire and means to ensure that learning never ends …
HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF IQ
We have always wanted to measure intelligence. Ironically, when you look at some of the first methods used to evaluate in the 1800s, they were not, well, very intelligent. Tactics such as expose people to different forms of torture to see what their threshold for pain was (the longer you can resist wincing, the more intelligent you were meant to be), or test your ability to detect a high pitch sound, others could not hear.
Things have changed … or have they?
No discussion of intelligence or IQ can be complete without mention of Alfred Binet, a French psychologist who was responsible for laying why the IQ test in 1904. His original intention was to devise a test that would diagnose the learning difficulties of students in France. Test results were then used to prepare special programs to help students overcome their educational problems.
It was never intended to be used as an absolute measure of one's intellectual abilities.
According to Binet, intelligence could not be described as a single score. He said that the use of intelligence quotient (IQ) as a concrete explanation for a child's intellectual capacity would be a grave mistake. Moreover, Binet feared that IQ measurement would be used to condemn a child to a permanent "Condition" of stupidity, and thus a negative impact on his or her education and livelihood.
The initial interest was the assessment of 'mental age '- the average level of intelligence of a person of a certain age. His creation, the Binet-Simon test (originally called a "scale"), formed the archetype for future tests of intelligence.
HH Goddard, director of research at Vineland Training School in New Jersey, translated Binet's work into English and went in. A more general application of Simon-Binet test. Unlike Binet, Goddard considered intelligence a solitary, fixed and inborn entity that can be measured. With the help of Lewis Terman of Stanford University, his final product, which was published in 1916 by Stanford Revision of Binet-Simon Scale of Intelligence (also known as the Stanford-Binet), became standard intelligence test in the U.S..
It is important to note that the fallacy of IQ is that it is fixed and can not be changed. The fact is that IQ scores are known to fluctuate – both up and down during one's lifetime. That does not mean that you become more or less intelligent, it just means that you have tested better in a day than a second.
One more thing about IQ tests: They have been used for racist purposes, because their imports to the U.S. Many of those who were involved in the importation and refinement of these tests believed that IQ was hereditary and are responsible for feeding deception that it is a "permanent" move.
Many immigrants were tested in 1920 and did these IQ tests miserably. As a result, many of those denied entry to U.S., or were forced to undergo sterilization for fear that fill America with "stupid" and "inferior" babies. If you recall, was the test designed for white, middle class Americans. Who do you think would be most difficult passes them?
Lewis Terman developed the original notion on IQ and proposed this scale for classifying IQ scores:
000-070: Definite dull-mindedness
070-079: Borderline deficiency
080-089: lethargy
090-109: Normal or average intelligence
110-119 Superior intelligence
115-124: Above average (eg university students)
125-134: Gifted (Eg postgraduate students)
135-144: Highly gifted (eg intellectual)
145-154: Genius (eg professors)
155-164: Genius (such as Nobel Prize winners)
165-179: High genius
180-200: Highest genius
200 -? : Immeasurable genius
* Genius IQ is generally considered to begin around 140 to 145, representing only 25% of the population (1 in 400).
* Einstein was considered "only" have an IQ of around 160th
DEFINING INTELLIGENCE
Diane F. Halpern, a psychologist and former chairman of the American Psychological Association (APA), wrote in her essay contribution to Why Smart People can be so stupid that in general, we recognize people as intelligent, if they have a combination of these results (1) good grades in school, (2) a high level of education, (3) a responsible, complex jobs (4) some other recognition as being intelligent, like to win prestigious awards or achieve a high salary, (5) ability to read complex text with good comprehension, (6) solve difficult and new problems.
Throughout my research and in the early stages of this article I came across many definitions of the word intelligence. Some were long, some were short. Some I could not even understand. The definition that is most widespread is the creation of APA, which are: the ability to adapt to your surroundings and learn from your mistakes.
What about it? There is word environment again. We just can not seem to get it. This adds deeper meaning by saying: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." It means recognizing what's happening in your environment, and have intelligence adapt to it – and the people who occupy it – to survive and succeed in it.
There are also many different kinds of intelligence. Most notable those created by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University.
Dr. Gardner believes (and I agree) that our schools and culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. We esteem highly articulate or logical people in our culture. But Dr. Gardner says that we should also place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world we live.
He felt that the traditional notion of intelligence based on IQ tests, were too small and created theories of Multiple Intelligences in 1983 to take into account a broader range of human potential in children and adults.
These intelligences are:
-Linguistic intelligence ("word smart ")
-Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number / reasoning smart")
-Spatial intelligence ("picture smart")
Bodily-Kinesthetic- intelligence ("body smart")
-Musical intelligence ("music smart")
-Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")
Intra-Personal intelligence ("self smart")
-Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")
Not connected with Dr. Gardner, but also respected are:
FLUID & crystallized INTELLIGENCE
According to About.com, the first psychologist Raymond Cattell proposed concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence and developed the theory with John Horn. The Cattell-Horn theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence indicates that intelligence is composed of a variety of abilities that interact and cooperate to produce the total individual intelligence.
Cattell defined fluid intelligence as "… the ability to perceive relationships independent of previous specific practice or instruction on these issues. "Fluid intelligence is the ability to think and reason abstractly and solve problems. This ability to be independent of learning, experience and training. Examples of the use of fluid intelligence include solving puzzles and come up with problem solving strategies.
Crystallized intelligence is learning from past experiences and learning. Situations requiring crystallized intelligence include reading comprehension and vocabulary tests. This type of intelligence is based on facts and rooted in experience. This type of intelligence becomes stronger, when we age and accumulate new knowledge and understanding.
Both types of intelligence increases throughout childhood and adolescence. Fluid intelligence peaks in adolescence and starts to decline gradually, starting around 30 years or 40 Crystallized intelligence continues to grow throughout adulthood.
SUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCE
Then Successful Intelligence, which is authored by intelligence psychologist and Yale professor Robert J. Sternberg, who believe that the whole concept of IQ to life result is wrong, because he believes that IQ is a pretty lousy predictor of life performance.
His Successful Intelligence theory focuses on three types of intelligence as have combined to contribute to your overall success: Analytical Intelligence, mental steps or components used to solve problems, Creative Intelligence: use of the experience in ways that promote insight (creativity / divergent thinking) and practical intelligence: the ability to read and adapt to the contexts in daily life.
For the environment, Mr. Sternberg writes in his book Successful Intelligence: Successfully intelligent people realize that the environment as they are may or may not be able to make the most of their talents. They are actively seeking an environment where they can not only do successful work but make a difference. They create opportunities rather than letting opportunities limited by the circumstances in which they happen to find themselves.
As an educator, subscribe I to Mr. Sternberg successful Intelligence approach to teaching. It has proved a highly effective tool and thinking of my college students. Using Successful Intelligence as the backbone of my context-driven curriculum really inspires students to see how training makes their life goals more attainable, and motivates them to further develop their expertise. Mr. Sternberg believes that the major factor in achieving expertise is focused engagement.
Emotional intelligence
In his best-selling 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, Goleman Daniel reported that research shows that conventional measures of intelligence – IQ – only accounts for 20% of a person's success in life. For example, research on IQ and education shows high IQ predicts 10-25% of grades in college. The percentage will vary depending on how we define success. Nevertheless, Goleman assertion begs the question: What accounts for the other 80%?
You guessed it … Emotional Intelligence. What is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence (also known as EQ or EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate feelings. Many companies now have mandatory EQ training their leaders in an effort to improve employee relations and increase productivity.
Silent knowledge aka "STREET SMARTS
You've heard the expression, "Experience is the greatest teacher …"
In psychology circles knowledge from everyday experience is called tacit knowledge. colloquial term is "street smarts" which implies that formal, classroom (Aka "book smarts") has nothing to do with it. The individual is no direct instructions on what he or she must learn, but rather must extract the important lesson from the experience itself when learning is not the primary goal.
Tacit knowledge is closely linked to common sense, which is sound and prudent assessment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. As you know, common sense is not so common.
Tacit knowledge, or experience it, seems to "hold" both faster and better when the lessons are directly relevant to individual goals. Knowledge is based on one's own practical experience would likely be more instrumental to achieve one's goals than will be knowledge based on someone else's experience or that are too generic and abstract.
Both SMART and stupid
Yes, it is possible to be both smart and stupid. I'm sure someone you know comes to mind right now. But the goal is not to ridicule, but to understand how some seemingly intelligent or educated people can be so smart in one way, and incredibly foolish in others.
The woman, who is a respected, well paid, dynamic performers who consistently chooses men who do not seem to be worthy of her, or the man there seems to be a pillar of society, with a loving wife and happy children, ends up being arrested on rape charges.
It happens, but why? I found the answer in Why Smart People can be so stupid.
Bottom and intellect are domain specific. In other words, to be smart (knowledge) in a area of your life, and stupid (ignorant) in a second is natural. Turning off your brain is normal especially when it comes to what we want. A common characteristics among those who are smart and stupid, is difficult to delay gratification.
Olem Ayduk & Walter Mischel who wrote the chapter summarized: Some times stupid behavior in intelligent people can arise from faulty expectations, erroneous beliefs, or simply a lack of motivation to adopt strategies to fight even when you have them. But sometimes it is an inability to regulate their affective states and behavioral tendencies associated with them that leads to stupid and self-destructive behavior.
The central character in this book that many of these experiences regarding being smart and stupid is centered around Bill Clinton and his affair with Monica Lewinksky.
WISDOM & CONCLUSION
My great-grandmother, Leola Cecil, maybe had an eighth class education at the most. By no stretch of imagination, she was highly educated. She was very observant and able to "read" people with amazing precision. Until the very end of her life, she shared her "crystallized intelligence "with whom were receptive to it.
She died at the age of the 94th I often use many of her sayings as a public speaker, but most importantly, I use her philosophies to ensure that I will be guided spiritually and not just intellectually. Many of us who are lucky enough to have a great grandparents can attest that there is something particularly when their knowledge. They seem to have life figured out, and an ability to help those of us who are smart, educated and intelligent see things more clearly when we are too busy thinking.
What they have is what we all should strive to end up with if we are lucky: wisdom.
Wisdom is the ability to see through a person. when others can only watch them wisdom brakes thinking process and makes it more organic sync it with intuition. Wisdom helps you make better judgments regarding decisions and makes you less judgmental. Wisdom is understanding without knowing and accepting without understanding. Wisdom is to recognize what is important for other people and knowing that other people are of paramount importance to you. Wisdom is both a starting and a final conclusion.
About the Author
Gian Fiero is an educator, speaker and consultant. He is affiliated with San Francisco State University as an adjunct professor, and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) as a business advisor where he conducts monthly workshops on topics such as business development, career planning, public relations, and personal growth.