Title: What Are Intelligence and Creativity? | Introduction to Psychology
Headings: What Are Intelligence and Creativity?
What Are Intelligence and Creativity?
Learning Objectives
CLASSIFYING INTELLIGENCE
Multiple Intelligences
CREATIVITY
Everyday Connection: Creativity
Summary
Question #1
Self Check Questions
Critical Thinking Questions
Personal Application Question
Answers
Glossary

Content: The person in your group who figures out a way to successfully brew coffee for everyone would be credited as having higher creative intelligence. Multiple Intelligences Theory was developed by Howard Gardner, a Harvard psychologist and former student of Erik Erikson. Gardner’s theory, which has been refined for more than 30 years, is a more recent development among theories of intelligence. In Gardner’s theory, each person possesses at least eight intelligences. Among these eight intelligences, a person typically excels in some and falters in others (Gardner, 1983). [ link] describes each type of intelligence. Multiple Intelligences
Intelligence Type
Characteristics
Representative Career
Linguistic intelligence
Perceives different functions of language, different sounds and meanings of words, may easily learn multiple languages
Journalist, novelist, poet, teacher
Logical-mathematical intelligence
Capable of seeing numerical patterns, strong ability to use reason and logic
Scientist, mathematician
Musical intelligence
Understands and appreciates rhythm, pitch, and tone; may play multiple instruments or perform as a vocalist
Composer, performer
Bodily kinesthetic intelligence
High ability to control the movements of the body and use the body to perform various physical tasks
Dancer, athlete, athletic coach, yoga instructor
Spatial intelligence
Ability to perceive the relationship between objects and how they move in space
Choreographer, sculptor, architect, aviator, sailor
Interpersonal intelligence
Ability to understand and be sensitive to the various emotional states of others
Counselor, social worker, salesperson
Intrapersonal intelligence
Ability to access personal feelings and motivations, and use them to direct behavior and reach personal goals
Key component of personal success over time
Naturalist intelligence
High capacity to appreciate the natural world and interact with the species within it
Biologist, ecologist, environmentalist
Gardner’s theory is relatively new and needs additional research to better establish empirical support. At the same time, his ideas challenge the traditional idea of intelligence to include a wider variety of abilities, although it has been suggested that Gardner simply relabeled what other theorists called “cognitive styles” as “intelligences” (Morgan, 1996). Furthermore, developing traditional measures of Gardner’s intelligences is extremely difficult (Furnham, 2009;