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Intelligence. Amal Yassien Haikal Assistant professor of psychiatry Mansoura University. Definition. Intelligence is the global capacity of an individual to act purposefully, to think rationally and to deal effectively with his environment ” ( Weschler 1944).
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Intelligence • AmalYassienHaikal • Assistant professor of psychiatry Mansoura University
Definition Intelligence is the global capacity of an individual to act purposefully, to think rationally and to deal effectively with his environment” (Weschler 1944). It includes the power of adaptation of an individual to his milieu, his ability to learn and for abstract thinking.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) Emotional intelligence refers to the way we handle the each other and ourselves. Though personal intelligence is important for academic abilities yet emotional intelligence contributes towards a balanced personality
The competencies of the emotional intelligence are crucial for success in work and in interpersonal relationships. It trains people to manage emotions and develop to skills to handle relationships. Thefive domains of emotional intelligence are— • Knowing one’s emotions • Managing emotions • Motivating oneself • Recognising emotions in others • Handling relationships. It is feasible to enhance emotional intelligence through training.
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) On individuals, Intelligence quotient is expressed as a ratio of mental age (MA) to the chronological age (CA). The ratio is multiplied by 100 to remove the decimal. MA IQ = -----× 100 CA
An individual with an average intelligence has an IQ of 100. If the mental development falls behind the individual will have an IQ less than 100 and if the rate of development is faster the individual will have an IQ more than 100. If two children six and eight years old obtain a MA of seven years on an intelligence test then the younger child has a higher intellect. MA 7 Child – A =---- × 100 = 88 CA 8 MA 7 Child - B =-------- × 100 = 117 CA 6
These terms are used to determine what level of remedial treatment or care is required by those with mental subnormality.
Growth of Intelligence Generally the growth of intelligence is rapidduring early childhood and then slows down in Teens. Longitudinal studies usingWechsler’s tests have shown that mental ability increases up to the age of twenty-six, after whichit levels off and remains unchanged till late thirties. There is a gradual decrease in the intellectual ability after forty with a sharp decline after sixty. Individuals engaged in activestimulating working environments with good physical health show little decrease in intellectualability up to age seventy.
Stability of Intelligence There are two opinions. One holds that the IQ remains relatively stable over the years changing only very slowly. Another opinion is that if determined effort is made, a change in IQ can be obtained.
Determinants of Intelligence The question of relative importance of ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ as a determinant of intelligence has been controversial. The role of genetics or heritability and environment has been extensively studied. Their comparative roles in determining intelligence are as follows:
Heredity vs Environment • Evidence pointing to the influence of heredity on intelligence comes mainly from family and the twin studies. • A sizeable portion of variation in IQ scores can be attributed to agenetic environmental covariation. Parents caninfluence their offspring both by direct genetic transmission and by the kind of environmentthey provide.
Even though intelligence has a significant genetic component, environmental conditions can also be crucially important. • The influence of the environment begins from the moment of conception. The development of the foetus, especially at critical times, may be affected by various physical factors including mother’s diet, smoking, disease such as rubella and certain drugs. • Subsequent environment especially during childhood, socioeconomic status, nutrition, health and educational influences of the family are very important determinants of IQ. • To sum up, both heredity and environment play an important role in determining intelligence. These can be compared to land and seeds used to grow crop. Seed is like heredity and the land is like environment.
Extremes of Intelligence Mental Subnormality refers to subaverage general intellectual functioning, which originates in the developmental period and is associated with impairment in adaptive behaviour. A person is regarded as mentally subnormal if: (i) the IQ attained is below 70 on standard psychologicaltests of intelligence; (ii) their adaptive skills are inadequate to cope up with the daily routines. Mental subnormality is categorised in four levels—mild, moderate, severe and profound.
Retarded children take longer to learn new material and once they have learned something new, they usually forget more easily than the normal. Consequently they need more help, and more systematic help from parents, teachers, and other in the acquisition of skills. In the preschool period the main role for professionals such as clinical psychologist, special educators, speech therapists, etc. is in helping parents to find ways to stimulate their child’s development.
The Mentally Gifted In distribution of intelligence, the right extreme of the bell-shaped curve represents the gifted or the genius. These are the individuals with IQs of 140 or higher. About one out of every 100 children has an IQ of 140-160. Less than one out of every 1000 has an IQ above 160.
SUMMARY • Intelligence is not a unitary concept, it is a global capacity of an individual to act purposefully, comprehend and think rationally. Various theories have been put forth to understand the nature of intelligence. Different theories have explained nature of intelligence. • Emotional intelligence is a term used for ability to control emotions and ability to handle interpersonal relationship. EI is considered important for success in later life. • Scores are more or less stable, as the test scores of the early years have been found to correlate highly with the scores obtained in late adolescence. • Heredity and environment both play an important role in determining the intelligence.
SUMMARY • Intelligence can be assessed through verbal or performance test. Intelligence quotient is the ratio between mental age and chronological age. • Average IQ scores range from 90 to 110 (obtained on standard tests of intelligence). Those having an IQ below 70 are considered as mentally subnormal, while those with an IQ above 160 are considered as mentally gifted. • Knowledge of intellectual functioning and its assessment, is of a great importance in clinical practice, especially in neuropsychiatry, psychiatry, endocrinology and pediatrics.
