Have you ever wondered why some people are able to quickly find the right solutions in any situation, while others are lost when difficulties arise? It's not just about character traits. The most important thing that distinguishes us from each other is the intellectual abilities that a separate individual has. In this article, we will consider what intelligence is and how to develop it.
What is intelligence?
Intelligence is a set of abilities that allow you to solve problems, solve problems, learn about the world. It is cognition that gives us information about the laws around us. The intellect is a complex of cognitive processes: thinking, memory, imagination, perception, sensation, representation.
The concept of intelligence appeared at the end of the 19th century, and was introduced by the scientist F. G alton. Various scientists were engaged in the study of intelligence: J. Piaget, C. Spearman, A. Binet and others. All of them believed that the mental abilities of a person are a complex system that is only partially used. Intellectual abilities do not arise by chance, they are developed over many years.
So what is intelligence, and how to develop it? Intelligence is not an innate quality of a person, but an acquired one. Favorable circumstances for the development of a high level of intellectual abilities is a genetic predisposition. If there are abilities for development, then the process of cognition itself will be faster and more fruitful. A person with a good memory, for example, has a great advantage over a person with a bad memory. In this case, the chain of tasks that need to be solved will be analyzed much faster. Since the technology for selecting patterns and instructions for solving problems are fixed in the memory of a person. Well-developed memory, thinking and logic are signs of high intelligence.
Types of intelligence
Depending on the field of application of mental abilities in psychology, several types of intelligence are distinguished.
Logical intelligence
Based on math problem solving. Operations with numbers and the search for patterns is the main area of application of this type of intelligence. The development of logical skills begins in early childhood and continues throughout life.
Spatial intelligence
Consists in observing a certain process in order to repeat it independently. In this case, several categories can be distinguished:
- Physical intelligence. It consists in the ability to control your body, repeat and learn complexdance moves, develop the ability to quickly react by rearranging your body in the right position.
- Social intelligence. It is characterized by a person's ability to find a common language with other members of society.
- Spiritual intelligence. It is about self-improvement and self-knowledge. A person must always progress and strive for the goal, the achievement of which is possible only with constant self-development.
- Creative intelligence. Assumes that a person has creative talent in a certain area: music, literature, fine arts, etc.
- Emotional intelligence. It consists in the ability of a person to think analytically, realize his needs and look for ways and methods to satisfy them. It is very important to be able to communicate with other members of society, feel their mood and analyze their behavior, these are also signs of high intelligence. Based on this, a productive interaction is formed.
Thinking and intelligence
These two concepts are very close by definition, but there are also significant differences. If we replace these concepts with synonyms, then it will become clear what is the difference between the terms. The concept of intelligence is comparable to the concept of "mind". An intelligent person is a person with a high level of intellectual abilities. Thinking is "thinking". Thus, the intellect acts as a property, characteristic of a person, and thinking implies action, a process.
A person with a high level of intelligence,capable of productive thinking. And thinking is the process of realizing intellectual abilities.
Intelligence test
You can check the level of intelligence using an online IQ test. The questions in the test are selected in such a way that it is possible to diagnose the level of development of intellectual abilities. Diagnostics of the level of intelligence is carried out in a complex way. A person is invited to solve several problems within a certain time.
- Problems with numbers. You are given several numbers and an empty window into which you must insert the missing number. To understand what number to insert, you need to build logical chains of interaction between the available numbers.
- Problems with pictures. This is a task for logic and attention. It is necessary to understand which picture is missing in the row, relying on neighboring images.
- Problems to build words from a list of letters.
- Problems to continue the list of letters. Sometimes the letters correspond to the ordinal number of the alphabet, in other cases the word made up of them is meant.
Depending on the number of correct answers, a total score is given, which characterizes the intellectual abilities of a person. IQ measurement should not be done after just one test. Testing must be comprehensive. How do you define intelligence? For this, there are special programs consisting of a series of tests. It is not necessary to go anywhere to conduct such tests. You can do it yourself. BeforeWhen you start testing, make sure that no one and nothing interferes with you.
People with a high level of intelligence
On our planet there are only 3% of people who have an IQ level of more than 130. Almost all of them have devoted their lives to studying a certain area in which they have reached considerable heights. Among these people there are world famous personalities:
- A. Einstein - IQ 170-190;
- Bill Gates - IQ 160;
- Stephen Hawking - IQ 160;
- Andrew Wiles - IQ 170;
- Garry Kasparov - IQ 190;
- Kim Ung-Yong - IQ 210;
- Christopher Michael Hirata - IQ 230.
- Terence Tao - IQ 230.
Intelligence Disorder
There are birth defects that negatively affect the development of the baby's intelligence. Violations of the brain or other important parts of the body can lead to mental retardation. This disease is scientifically called oligophrenia.
Congenital abnormalities in children are officially divided into 3 categories:
- Debility. Employment is possible, but its choice is limited.
- Imbecile. The ability to work is completely absent, but a person can serve himself independently.
- Idiot. Self-service not possible.
Mental deviations can also occur in an adult. This process is called dementia, it usually occurs in old age. Symptoms of mental retardation are manifested in partialloss of memory, a person ceases to apply previously acquired skills, the emotional world becomes scarce and monotonous, there is indifference to the processes taking place around and to the whole world as a whole. Formulation of thoughts is difficult, thinking becomes unproductive.
How to develop intelligence?
If your intelligence is low, it does not mean that you are mentally retarded. This can only mean that the stock of knowledge and skills is too scarce. To develop intellectual abilities, you need to train your skills: develop memory, thinking, logic, etc.
Daily workouts and mental stress will allow you to broaden your horizons, explore new areas of life and discover previously unexplored areas. Reading books, for example, will not only bring you new information, but will also help you expand your vocabulary. Solving logical problems of different directions will stimulate the development of analytical and synthetic abilities, will allow you to discover new logical chains.
Learning foreign languages is very useful not only for memory training, but also for studying the culture of other nations. It is much more pleasant to read the works of foreign authors not in translation, but in the original. A foreign language is not only the transmission of information, it is also a peculiar way of thinking.
Intelligence Capabilities
Scientists believe that a person inadequately uses the full potential of his physiological capabilities. Intelligence is a property that, if desired, can bedevelop to a very high level. Constant training of the mind will definitely give results. There is simply no upper limit to intelligence.
Some believe that you need to be born with the ability so that in the future it can develop. This is not entirely true. An artist or musician lives in each of us, but not everyone pays attention to it. It's all about the interests of life. Someone has a great desire to engage in fine arts, but there is no talent. In the process of learning, abilities appear that allow you to create masterpieces of art.
Artificial Intelligence
Currently, scientists are actively working to create artificial intelligence, but all types of AI are limited only to a narrow specialization. For example: a program that can beat a person in an online game cannot execute other commands. Let's figure out what AI is.
Artificial intelligence is the ability to think and make decisions based on the prevailing circumstances, which is endowed with a mechanical object. Simply put, man wants to create a machine that is as intelligent as any of us. Every year, the world's leading powers spend heavily on the creation of such machines, but a full-fledged artificial intelligence has not yet been created.
Many believe that machines with signs of high intelligence pose a great danger to humanity. If a smart computer is created that can control other devices in its own interests, then the course of its actionswill become unpredictable, and therefore dangerous to all living things.
Interesting facts
Determining the level of intelligence is complex. A person is invited to take several tests aimed at checking thinking, logic, memory and other signs of high intelligence. After that, the results are processed, and the average score for all levels of verification is set. If a person has an above-average IQ, then, as a rule, he is equally proficient in all types of tasks.
According to statistics, people with high intelligence have fewer he alth problems. The risk of death caused by negligence is much lower. Such people are less likely to get into car accidents, as they behave carefully, carefully and attentively. When a critical situation arises, people with high intelligence react very quickly and instantly look for a course of action.
Studies over the past few decades show that the average IQ level in humans increases by 2-3 points every 10 years. Most likely, this is due to Internet access, which makes it possible to obtain any information. People are smarter than they were a few years ago.
In conclusion
A high level of intelligence is the key to a long and comfortable life. After all, it is smart, quick-witted people who occupy leading highly paid positions in organizations. The desire to develop and improve our skills should be in each of us, and you can start doing it right now.