Question

What do you think intelligence is? Sternberg makes a division between operational and real definitions. The operational definition defines a concept in terms of the way it is measured. The real definition is one that attempts to make us understand the true nature of the concept being defined. What is your real definition? How can we operationally define intelligence?

Answer 1

• In general conceptual terms:The ability to rapidly and accurately understand a situation would constitute one indicator of intelligence.
• Creative insight, creative use of ones environment (whether it be a physical or an abstract environment), creative approaches to unsolved problem spaces, would constitute another indicator of intelligence.
• Rapid and accurate processing of external inputs later used in understanding issues or creating solutions would constitute another indicator of intelligence.The greater the ability to exercise these indicators, the higher the level of intelligence in my opinion.
• Operational definition-Intelligence is the property measured by IQ.The IQ test consists of multiple subtests which contribute in different ways to overall score. The purpose of this test is to predict academic success , rank in the military, or to evaluate function following brain injury, during aging , exposure to toxins, medication etc.
• Intelligence is whatever the intelligence test measures. This tends to be “school smarts” and it tends to be culture-specific.This is the operational definition.