Multiple Intelligences

Multiple intelligences (MI) is a theory of psychology and education first proposed by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner in his 1983 book, Frames of Mind. At its core is the proposition that individuals have the potential to develop a combination of seven separate intelligences, or spheres of intelligence, and the suggestion that the measuring of an individual student's overall cognitive capacity should not be focused on a single measurement or attempt to quantify intelligence. Rather, because a diversity of separate “intelligences” can be measured in an individual and each person manifests varying levels of each one, a unique cognitive profile is a better representative of individual strengths and weaknesses than those measures that are normally emphasized in educational curricula.

MI is not meant to be a relativistic theory of education. The theory as applied should not be used to justify a student's failure in one area by claiming that his or her intelligence should instead be measured based on that area in which he or she performs best. Rather, applications of the theory account for successes and failures of the student in an array of cognitive capacities, and the student's overall cognitive profile merely distinguishes between them.

It is important to note that Gardner claims that every person possesses all intelligences to some degree. In the field of education, the application of MI is toward integrating all intelligences into the means of instruction employed by teachers. That is, the task of the educator becomes one of addressing different learning styles among students, accounting for differing strengths and weaknesses, and teaching to each of the different intelligences in the classroom. Adherents of MI assert that nurturing intelligences in which the student is already strong and developing those in which he or she is weak is the best way to facilitate a healthy integration of all the intelligences and represent most accurately each student's success and failure.

In order for a cognitive capacity to qualify for description as an independent “intelligence” (rather than as a subskill or a combination of other kinds of intelligence), it must meet eight specific criteria. First, it must be possible to thoroughly symbolize that capacity using a specific notation that conveys its essential meaning. Second, neurological evidence [Page 583]must exist that some area of the brain is specialized to control that particular capacity. This is often proven through case studies of individuals who have suffered brain damage and have lost that specific capacity while retaining others. Third, case studies must exist that show that some subgroups of people (such as child prodigies or autistic savants) exhibit an elevated mastery over a given intelligence. Fourth, the intelligence must have some evolutionary relevance through history and across cultures. Fifth, the capacity must have a unique developmental history for each individual, reflecting each person's different level of mastery over it. Sixth, the intelligence must be measurable in psychometric studies that are reflective of differing levels of mastery across intelligences. Seventh, the intelligence must have some definite set of core operations that are indicative of its use. Lastly, the proposed intelligence must be already plausible based on existing means of measuring intelligence.

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