5 Steps to a 5 AP Psychology, 2010-2011 Edition - Laura Lincoln Maitland [143]
Salovey’s and Mayer’s emotional intelligence combines Gardner’s intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences. Salovey, Mayer, and David Caruso developed the Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS) to measure emotional intelligence. The items test the test taker’s ability to perceive, understand, and regulate emotions. Robert Sternberg also believes that intelligence is more than what is typically measured by traditional IQ tests, and has described three distinct types of intelligence in his triarchic theory of intelligence: analytic, creative, and practical. Analytical thinking is what is tested by traditional IQ tests and what we are asked to do in school—compare, contrast, analyze, and figure out cause and effect relationships. Creative intelligence is evidenced by adaptive reactions to novel situations, showing insight, and being able to see more than one way to solve a problem. Practical intelligence is what some people consider “street smarts.” This would include the ability to read people, knowing how to put together a bake sale, or being able to get to a distant location. Whether it is labeled as emotional intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, or practical intelligence, such emotionally smart people can often succeed in careers, marriages, and parenting, where people with higher IQ scores, but less emotional intelligence, fail.
Creativity
Creativity, the ability to generate ideas and solutions that are original, novel, and useful, is not usually measured by intelligence tests. According to the threshold theory, a certain level of intelligence is necessary, but not sufficient for creative work. Although many tests of creativity have been developed, such as the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, the Christensen-Guilford Test, the Remote Associates Test, and the Wallach and Kogan Creative Battery, they do not have high criterion-related validity.
Because tests are used to make decisions, they are criticized for their shortcomings. Although psychometricians, other psychologists, educators, and ethicists agree that intelligence tests measure the ability to take tests well, they do not agree that intelligence tests actually measure intelligence. Since results of intelligence tests correlate highly with academic achievement, they do have predictive validity.
Heredity/Environment and Intelligence
A continuing theme of psychology known as the nature–nurture controversy asks to what extent intelligence is hereditary and to what extent it is learned. Mental retardation resulting from genetic defects, such as Down syndrome (see Genetics and Behavior in Chapter 7), is primarily hereditary, whereas mental retardation resulting from prenatal exposure to alcohol, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) (see Physical Development in Chapter 13), is primarily environmental. Phenylketonuria (PKU) results from the interaction of nature and nurture (see Genetics and Behavior in Chapter 7). About 75% of all cases of mental retardation result from nurture, from sociocultural deprivation in an impoverished environment, also called cultural-familial retardation. This illustrates that both nature and nurture contribute to intelligence. Theorists continue to argue about the relative contributions of heredity/genes and environment/experience to intelligence because of the important implications. If intelligence is inherited, then special educational programs for disadvantaged groups are unnecessary. If, on the other hand, intelligence can be affected by better education and an enriched environment, special programs are warranted. For example, the Head Start program is designed to provide economically disadvantaged children with preschool opportunities