Multiple Intelligences (Psychology)

Eight independent types of intelligence postulated by Howard Gardner to underlie different forms of intelligent behavior. Early theories of intelligence posited a single underlying dimension, labeled general intelligence, or g, which governed all behavior. These theories were derived from evidence that people who scored highly on one cognitive test tended to score highly on other tests. However, these theories allowed for some domain specificity, arguing that all mental tests also measure specific abilities that are unique to each mental test; thus, a person's performance on any given test was a function of g, their general intelligence, and s, a specific factor. Intelligence tests, such as the Weschler Scales, were developed as a measure of g, the underlying general intelligence factor.

Subsequent theories of intelligence retained the notion of a single underlying g but argued that assessment of a single intelligence quotient (IQ) score was of little value without further consideration of specific primary mental abilities. Thus, Thurstone and Thurstone (1941) argued for further domain specificity in the study of intelligence and pointed to a set of seven primary mental abilities: (1) verbal comprehension, (2) numerical ability, (3) memory, (4) inductive reasoning, (5) perceptual speed, (6) verbal fluency, and (7) spatial relations.

More recently, however, Gardner (1999) rejected the idea of a single underlying dimension called “intelligence” and argued instead for the existence of several different types of intelligence, called multiple intelligences, which are independent from one another and vary from one person to another. While biology provides raw capacities on any intelligence type, cultures provide symbolic systems (such as language) to mobilize those raw capacities, and individuals may develop some capacities further than others. Thus, any given person could score high on a test of one type of intelligence and low on another type of intelligence. The eight separate types of intelligence identified by Gardner were (1) linguistic (vocabulary and reading comprehension), (2) logical-mathematical (skill at arithmetic and certain kinds of reasoning), (3) musical (abilities involving rhythm, tempo, pitch, and sound identification), (4) spatial (understanding the relationships between objects), (5) bodily-kinesthetic (skill at dancing, athletics, and hand-eye coordination), (6) interpersonal (ability to understand and interact with others), (7) intrapersonal (self-understanding), and (8) naturalist (ability to see patterns in nature).

Some critics of Gardner's theory argue that definitive proof is still required for the existence of distinct, orthogonal intelligences. Others note that Gardner's model fails to address tasks that require more than one type of intelligence; for example, the ability to maintain a conversation requires both linguistic and interpersonal intelligences, and Gardner does not indicate how these intelligences interact to affect performance on the task. A fundamental criticism is the seemingly arbitrary designation of eight types of intelligence. The theory is unclear on the limit to the number of types of intelligence that exist and on what constitutes an intelligence type; critics argue that there are no theoretical barriers to the creation of infinite additional and increasingly specific intelligence types.

The multiple intelligence model has, however, experienced notable success, particularly in educational settings. Schools have been prompted to enrich the educational experience by cultivating a broad spectrum of intelligence types in children rather than simply [Page 337]targeting their traditional foci of linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences. For further reading, see Gardner (1999) and Thurstone and Thurstone (1941).

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