I Admire Intelligence
Is intelligence determined by genetics?
Like most aspects of human behavior and cognition, intelligence is a complex trait that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.
Intelligence is challenging to study, in part because it can be defined and measured in different ways. Most definitions of intelligence include the ability to learn from experiences and adapt to changing environments. Elements of intelligence include the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, and understand complex ideas. Many studies rely on a measure of intelligence called the intelligence quotient (IQ).
Researchers have conducted many studies to look for genes that influence intelligence. Many of these studies have focused on similarities and differences in IQ within families, particularly looking at adopted children and twins. These studies suggest that genetic factors underlie about 50 percent of the difference in intelligence among individuals. Other studies have examined variations across the entire genomes of many people (an approach called genome-wide association studies or GWAS) to determine whether any specific areas of the genome are associated with IQ. These studies have not conclusively identified any genes that underlie differences in intelligence. It is likely that a large number of genes are involved, each of which makes only a small contribution to a person’s intelligence.
Intelligence is also strongly influenced by the environment. Factors related to a child’s home environment and parenting, education and availability of learning resources, and nutrition, among others, all contribute to intelligence. A person’s environment and genes influence each other, and it can be challenging to tease apart the effects of the environment from those of genetics. For example, if a child’s IQ is similar to that of his or her parents, is that similarity due to genetic factors passed down from parent to child, to shared environmental factors, or (most likely) to a combination of both? It is clear that both environmental and genetic factors play a part in determining intelligence.
TRAIT OR SKILL?
Is intelligence a trait or a skill? While the notion of inherent genius has always captivated us, it is a different kind of intelligence that has consistently proven to be successful.
The results of a 2007 study indicate that students’ outlook on intelligence greatly effects their performance inside and outside of the classroom. The study concludes that students who believe that intelligence can be developed throughout life are more likely succeed in school than those who believe intelligence is fixed trait.
According to psychologist Carol Dweck, from Stanford University, students’ views of intelligence falls into one of two categories: the fixed mindset or the growth mindset.
While those with a fixed mindset believe intelligence cannot be learned, those who view intelligence from a growth mindset believe that intelligence is a skill that is constantly developing.
When presented with a challenge, those who view intelligence as a fixed trait tend to shield what they don’t know in an attempt hide what they don’t know, making them less likely to learn new concepts. On the other hand, those who have a growth mindset recognize a challenge as an opportunity for development. Their mindset allows more room for learning and growth.
Which side is biology on? Every time we learn something, an electrical connection is made in our brains that has never been made before. As these connections compile, our brains become more capable, making our intelligence a constant work in progress.
Why do so many of us treat intelligence with a “have it” or “don’t have it” mentality? According to Malcolm Galdwell, this phenomenon can be attributed to the way we view exceptional people, or outliers. Gladwell theorizes that our society’s flawed analysis of outliers contributes to our passive outlook on intelligence.
According to Gladwell, our society focuses on what exceptional people are like, instead of where they came from. This kind of analysis can lead to the incorrect conclusion that successful people are inherently intelligent. By obsessing over the personality traits of the successful, we lose interest in a much more important element of success: development.
Intelligence and success are results of hard work, dedication and consistent development. In fact, Gladwell asserts that, as a ground rule, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery of a skill. By taking this concept and applying it to our concept of intelligence, we begin to understand that being smart takes a lot of practice.
What does this mean? Viewing intelligence as a skill, rather than a trait, will greatly increase your ability to succeed.
I believe we all have intelligence, but use it for different matters, some for learning, work, life, and others... Have you ever heard of the term " Book smart and Street smart "? well that's just it, they are both intelligence but in different topics, To be honest I am more books smart than street smart.. But what I am trying to say is we all have potential, but some maybe more likely to use it more than others, even thought we have the abilitys to control what we want to learn in life... Intelligence is a trait that everyone has, just need to unleash it a bit more than the avarage.. Don't you think?
Like most aspects of human behavior and cognition, intelligence is a complex trait that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.
Intelligence is challenging to study, in part because it can be defined and measured in different ways. Most definitions of intelligence include the ability to learn from experiences and adapt to changing environments. Elements of intelligence include the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, and understand complex ideas. Many studies rely on a measure of intelligence called the intelligence quotient (IQ).
Researchers have conducted many studies to look for genes that influence intelligence. Many of these studies have focused on similarities and differences in IQ within families, particularly looking at adopted children and twins. These studies suggest that genetic factors underlie about 50 percent of the difference in intelligence among individuals. Other studies have examined variations across the entire genomes of many people (an approach called genome-wide association studies or GWAS) to determine whether any specific areas of the genome are associated with IQ. These studies have not conclusively identified any genes that underlie differences in intelligence. It is likely that a large number of genes are involved, each of which makes only a small contribution to a person’s intelligence.
Intelligence is also strongly influenced by the environment. Factors related to a child’s home environment and parenting, education and availability of learning resources, and nutrition, among others, all contribute to intelligence. A person’s environment and genes influence each other, and it can be challenging to tease apart the effects of the environment from those of genetics. For example, if a child’s IQ is similar to that of his or her parents, is that similarity due to genetic factors passed down from parent to child, to shared environmental factors, or (most likely) to a combination of both? It is clear that both environmental and genetic factors play a part in determining intelligence.
TRAIT OR SKILL?
Is intelligence a trait or a skill? While the notion of inherent genius has always captivated us, it is a different kind of intelligence that has consistently proven to be successful.
The results of a 2007 study indicate that students’ outlook on intelligence greatly effects their performance inside and outside of the classroom. The study concludes that students who believe that intelligence can be developed throughout life are more likely succeed in school than those who believe intelligence is fixed trait.
According to psychologist Carol Dweck, from Stanford University, students’ views of intelligence falls into one of two categories: the fixed mindset or the growth mindset.
While those with a fixed mindset believe intelligence cannot be learned, those who view intelligence from a growth mindset believe that intelligence is a skill that is constantly developing.
When presented with a challenge, those who view intelligence as a fixed trait tend to shield what they don’t know in an attempt hide what they don’t know, making them less likely to learn new concepts. On the other hand, those who have a growth mindset recognize a challenge as an opportunity for development. Their mindset allows more room for learning and growth.
Which side is biology on? Every time we learn something, an electrical connection is made in our brains that has never been made before. As these connections compile, our brains become more capable, making our intelligence a constant work in progress.
Why do so many of us treat intelligence with a “have it” or “don’t have it” mentality? According to Malcolm Galdwell, this phenomenon can be attributed to the way we view exceptional people, or outliers. Gladwell theorizes that our society’s flawed analysis of outliers contributes to our passive outlook on intelligence.
According to Gladwell, our society focuses on what exceptional people are like, instead of where they came from. This kind of analysis can lead to the incorrect conclusion that successful people are inherently intelligent. By obsessing over the personality traits of the successful, we lose interest in a much more important element of success: development.
Intelligence and success are results of hard work, dedication and consistent development. In fact, Gladwell asserts that, as a ground rule, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery of a skill. By taking this concept and applying it to our concept of intelligence, we begin to understand that being smart takes a lot of practice.
What does this mean? Viewing intelligence as a skill, rather than a trait, will greatly increase your ability to succeed.
I believe we all have intelligence, but use it for different matters, some for learning, work, life, and others... Have you ever heard of the term " Book smart and Street smart "? well that's just it, they are both intelligence but in different topics, To be honest I am more books smart than street smart.. But what I am trying to say is we all have potential, but some maybe more likely to use it more than others, even thought we have the abilitys to control what we want to learn in life... Intelligence is a trait that everyone has, just need to unleash it a bit more than the avarage.. Don't you think?
