Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Overview of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence (1977, 1985, 1995) subsumes both Spearman’s g and underlying information processing components. His triarchic theory includes three facets or subtheories:

• Analytical (componential)
• Creative (experiential)
• Practical (contextual)

Sternberg's theory builds on his earlier componential approach to reasoning. His theory is mostly based on observing Yale graduate students. Sternberg believes that if intelligence is properly defined & measured it will translate to real-life success.

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory is an important effort to synthesize the various theories of intelligence.

Analytical (componential) Facet (or Subtheory)

Analytical Intelligence similar to the standard psychometric definition of intelligence e.g. as measured by Academic problem solving: analogies and puzzles, and corresponds to his earlier componential intelligence. Sternberg considers this reflects how an individual relates to his internal world.

Sternberg believes that Analytical Intelligence (Academic problem-solving skills) is based on the joint operations of metacomponents and performance components and knowledge acquisition components of intelligence

Metacomponents: control, monitor and evaluate cognitive processing. These are the executive functions to order and organise performance and knowledge acquisition components. They are the higher-order processes that order and organise the performance components. Used to analyze problems and pick a strategy for solving them. They decide what to do and the performance components actually do it.

Performance Components: execute strategies assembled by the metacomponents. They are the basic operations involved in any cognitive act. They are the cognitive processes that enable us to encode stimuli, hold information in short-term memory, make calculations, perform mental calculations, mentally compare different stimuli, retrieve information from long-term memory.

Knowledge acquisition components: are the processes used in gaining and storing new knowledge - i.e. capacity for learning. The strategies you use to help memorize things exemplify the processes that fall into this category.

Sternberg feels that IDs in intelligence are related to IDs in the use of these cognitive processes. He feels that people with better reasoning ability generally spend more time understanding the problem but reach their solution faster than those who are less skilled at the task.

Creative (experiential) Facet (or Subtheory)

Creative Intelligence: this involves insights, synthesis and the ability to react to novel situations and stimuli. This he considers the Experiential aspect of intelligence and reflects how an individual connects the internal world to external reality.

Sternberg considers the Creative facet to consist of the ability which allows people to think creatively and that which allows people to adjust creatively and effectively to new situations.

Sternberg believes that more intelligent individuals will also move from consciously learning in a novel situation to automating the new learning so that they can attend to other tasks.

Two-Facet Subtheory (Novelty & Automatization)

Basic assumption: That there are two broad classes of abilities associated with intelligence: novelty skills and automatization skills. A task measures intelligence if it requires the ability to deal with novel demands or the ability to automatize information processing (two ends of a continuum).

Novel tasks or situations are good measures of intellectual ability because they assess an individual's ability to apply existing knowledge to new problems.

Practical (contextual) Facet (or Subtheory)

Practical Intelligence: this involves the ability to grasp, understand and deal with everyday tasks. This is the Contextual aspect of intelligence and reflects how the individual relates to the external world about him or her.

Sternberg states that Intelligence is: "Purposive adaptation to, shaping of, and selection of real-world environments relevant to one's life" (Sternberg, 1984, p.271)

Purposive means that intelligence is directed towards goals, however vague or subconscious they may be. This means that intelligence is indicated by one's attempts to adapt to one's environment.

Practical Intelligence can be said to be intelligence that operates in the real world. People with this type of intelligence can adapt to, or shape their environment. It might also be called “Street-smarts”. In measuring this facet, not only mental skills but attitudes and emotional factors that can influence intelligence are measured.

So this practical intelligence is a combination of:

(a) adaptation to the environment in order to have goals met

(b) changing the environment in order to have goals met

(c) or, if (a) and (b) don't work moving to a new environment in which goals can be met

Sternberg believes that individuals considered intelligent in one culture may be looked on as unintelligent in another.

An important asset of this theory is to avoid defining intelligence in terms of intelligence tests rather than performance in the everyday world (which is, after all, what intelligence tests try to predict!).

Measuring practical intelligence:

• Sternberg Multidimensional Abilities Test measures all 3 intelligences, on separate scales
• Sternberg and Wagner’s test of Practical Managerial Intelligence measures:
• ability to write effective memos
• ability to motivate people
• knowledge of when to delegate
• ability to “read” people

When measuring practical intelligence Sternberg looks at things such as how people decode nonverbal messages e.g. can you tell who are the real couples?

Why? - how to handle your kid's endless "why"s

“Mommy, why do stars twinkle? Daddy, why do fingers look funny in a bathtub? Mommy, why do we need to go to bed? Daddy, why?…Why?..” Do you have a “why-attack” in your home? I love those questions. I think it exposes kids curiosity. I think it shows is their thirst for knowledge. I think it is fun to learn about things, I haven’t even thought of myself! And I think that by answering them, we show our kids how much we respect them, their desire to learn, how much we encourage getting to know about this world.

Nevertheless, whenever any kid asks another “why?” - I try not to answer. It’s easier to answer, but I strongly try to resist this (besides, my answer will just result in thousand more whys, without my kid even concentrating on answers). Why not? Why to withhold the answer? What do YOU think? Right, because I want him to try to come up with his own answer. Sometimes he already knows the answer. Sometimes he is really clueless, but guesses it correctly. Sometimes he doesn’t want to guess and just asks “why” to keep the conversation going.

So, I usually pay lots of attention to those “whys” and jump back with “What do you think?” He either gives his own logical explanation (which doesn’t always sound all that logical to me), or says that he doesn’t know. Now it’s my turn to insist on his “why”: “I would love to answer your question, and I definitely will, AFTER you give me your best hypothesis! It’s a good question - I’d love to know what you think!” Eventually I’ll hear some theory. Most often - surprisingly, quite close to the truth! At least I’ll try to find some truth and encourage it: “You are right, the stars do shine from far-far-away… and they do look like lights of the cars… ”

And I still don’t give out the answer. WHY NOT? I would love to encourage kid’s autonomy. I would love to teach my kid self-reliance, foster his independence. I would love them to know, that they CAN (and should) do their research, they should learn to ENJOY it. I am here to help them, if they need it. I am here to join in this fun quest (I am curious too!). So I use this as an opportunity to dig in the encyclopedia (child’s version or real one), to open wikipedia.org online or search for some images and explanations on google.com. It turns out educational for both of us, and lots of fun.

If we have a knowledgeable friend - that’s a great resource! People usually feel very honored. It feels good to know more and to enlighten someone with your wisdom. So, I think that a good question wouldn’t “bother” other people, it would actually make them feel good about themselves.

Once we were calling our friend’s father, a policemen, to find out what happens with the guns that police takes away from criminals (I’ve never wondered about this in my entire life, and my husband wisely kept silent). It turned out to be exciting (though very surprising to our friend’s father).

Money Management to Children

For a number of parents, talking about money and finance itself is a big anathema! Most parents never talk to their children about the money and its management. Children ask for money and parents just oblige with them! As per recent surveys, many children who are growing into adults get themselves into a situation of debt by the time they reach the age of 20! Apart from parents educating their children about food, school and hygiene, it is critically important that they also teach their children about the importance of money and financial literacy. Understanding and learning about cash and credit is very important for all children so that they can learn to be responsible with their finance.

Is it possible to teach financial literacy to our children? Can we teach our children how they can conserve and save the money? When we educate our children about the importance of money, we will be empowering them to keep more of the money they get and do a lot more with the money they spend for things. Parents need not be financial experts to teach about money and its management. However, parents must understand the fundamental goals and lessons that they are trying to teach. Caring about the money and understanding its amazing characters are two of the most critical things that children should remember.

A child armed with the basic knowledge of money management will succeed in his or her future life when compared to those children who spend money in a reckless manner. Educating and empowering our children in their young age will help them grow as responsible and financially secure adults.

"Rich Dad Poor Dad" is one book that I found amazing. It brings out some fundamental ways to teach about money to our children. Parents must read this book to teach their children.

ISP: The Art of Parenting

Children are God-given gifts and we are sure that they are spreading joy and cheer all around. It is towards this end that we have developed a systematic approach called the " Infant SSY Program" (ISP). It is now acknowledged that the true potential of child can be fully realized if the child develops Physically, Mentally, Socially, Emotionally and Spiritually.

Do you know?

Your 3-4 years child can ...
- Read like yourself
- Understand 10 or more languages.
- Do binary functions in Maths.
- Operate computers
- Play the piano, violin, harmonium or any other instrument.

The ISP guides parents on how to bring up children right from the stage of conception to 8 years. It specially deals with improving all the 8 types of intelligence of children. It also deals with the overall development of the child covering the Physical, Mental, Social, Emotional and Spiritual areas.

ISP uses various brain stimulant methods like Flash Cards, Dot Cards, Encyclopedia Cards, stimulation of five senses etc. We have practically implemented that the aforesaid techniques on the children in the age of 6 months (with Mothers) to 6 Years at our School MET's Rishikul Vidyalaya - at Bandra(West) Mumbai.

Just give a thought how many times we say "NO or Don't do" to our child, which can affect right brain development. This program guides parents on creating a positive environment for the child, and making parenting a joyful journey.

The Infant SSY Program (ISP) is a byproduct of the Siddha Samadhi Yoga (SSY) Program. Guru Rishi Prabhakar is the founder of the SSY and the Infant SSY Program. The Program has been developed & enhanced by Shri Raviji and Manoj Lekhiji.

Learning Styles

Learning styles form an excellent method to assist upgrade our children's quality of learning. By knowing our children's personal learning styles, we can make them adapt to the intricate process of learning lessons and syllabi. Each child has his or her own way of learning their class lessons and other useful things of life. Most children possess a delicate mixture of learning styles and techniques. Some of them may possess a dominant style of learning with lesser use for other styles. On the other hand, most of the children use a judicious mix of different learning styles. In fact, we can never have a right or perfect kind of mix. In many cases, learning styles keep changing during the course of brain development in children.

Most of the schools always use two types of dominant learning styles - linguistic and logistic methods. They also use a few numbers of other learning styles and methods. It is a very common fact that people tend to label those children who always use these traditional styles and methods as gifted and endowed with scholastic abilities. People also tend to label those children who use far less liked or used learning styles as ordinary. However, scholastic abilities alone do not count while assessing the overall personality of a child. By recognizing and understanding our children's learning styles, we can easily enhance their learning potentials. When we use optimized learning methods, we can make your children's speed and quality of learning better and result oriented.

Children's learning styles can have far more serious effects than you can imagine. The most preferred learning style can lead the way in which our children learn and understand. Available research displays us that each of the learning styles used by children uses different sectors of the brain. When our children use and involve all areas of the brain, they can easily remember what they learn and understand. Enhancing the learning styles in our children is a sure way to make them scholastically brilliant and mentally smart and intelligent.

Reading skills in Children

Our children are created naturally to speak words. However, they are not created to read or write. Reading and writing are two of the most important life skills that come by learning, practice and repetition. With intense teaching and consistent practice, our children can easily learn how to read and understand printed words. Almost all children learn to read and write at the age of about six. However, teaching our pre-school children about the value of reading is very critical. When our children know the basics of reading at an early age, they can become better readers when they reach their primary school age.

Poor reading skills and abilities can affect our children's future in a number of ways, while excellent reading skills can ensure unqualified success in whatever the field of activity our children prefer to choose. Reading skills are the important keys for learning. Anything that exposes our children to the basics of language in a meaningful and understanding manner will contribute immensely to their learning of the art of how to read.

Reading words and text in printed form is a latent ability that almost every child possesses. However, to develop and master the art of reading, the role of parents is very critical, as they are first mentors and teachers, who can initiate the actual process of developing the reading habit. Parents may wish to ensure that their children can read, write, spell and pronounce words in a manner that can propel them to the path of definite success. Have a nice day!

Thought for today:

"To get what you've never had, you must do what you've never done." - Anonymous

Curiosity in Children

Children are always very curious! They want to know about everything that happens around them. They want to touch different objects, feel them and learn about their shapes and characteristics. Other children may badly want to know how a car engine works or what makes the car to move on its wheels. There are hundreds of different questions, some of which are very simple, while the others are very difficult. One thing is sure - that all children ask too many questions about things and events that happen around them, every day and throughout the year. A sense of curiosity makes your children ask all these questions.

So, what is curiosity? It is a psychological ability that comes almost automatically to your children. It helps your children solidify ideas, clarify questions, seek answers to all queries and probe them in all possible angles. It also encourages your children differentiate how things and scenarios could be different. Curiosity is a state of mind that helps your children actively explore immediate environment, ask the right type of questions, probe all possibilities and express a sense of deep wonder at those things that are amazing and surprising.

With curiosity, your children can easily find solutions to problems that almost center on such expressions as "why" and "how". Questioning will lead your children to deeper-most levels of knowledge that eventually helps them to create a meaningful equation between different aspects of life. A sense of heightened curiosity will also help your children become better citizens and responsible individuals.

Is it possible to develop a sense of curiosity in your children? Although, curiosity is natural gift that comes automatically to your children, you may still need to nudge or slow-push them to find answers to the most curious questions of life. As a parent, you may also wish to answer their questions with a sense of deep purpose, which is to make them empowered with the ability to find out solutions to critical problems of life.

Curiosity can quench the thirst for acquiring useful and practical knowledge. It is also the pathway to heightened mental and brain development. When your children are curious, they can be the most productive people on the planet. Have a nice day!

Thought for today:
"Winners are losers who got up and gave it one more try." - Dennis DeYoung