As Yale psychologist Robert Sternberg notes, “[intelligence]
represents a set of competencies in development” (Shenk 51). It concludes that
intelligence is fluctuating and therefore be changed based on the organism and its
environment. We know that intelligence changes with age and experience; we also
know that timing is important based on the study conducted by Kansas
psychologists Betty Hart and Todd Risley about children’s exposure to words and
success later on in life (Shenk 45). What else can affect intelligence and,
based on the reading, what can be done to increase intelligence? Please provide
specific examples.
Yiran Xu, yxu135@gmail.com
Yiran Xu, yxu135@gmail.com
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ReplyDeleteIn today's ever changing society, the debate about intelligence levels and how to increase one's "potential" for intelligence is ever changing. There are those that say that intelligence levels are stationary, but as of late that view is being reversed.
ReplyDeleteTo begin, intelligence must be looked at as not a thing, but a "dynamic" (Shenk 51), and in order to understand what can affect intelligence, it must be noted as to how intelligence can be increased. Shenk continually stresses that everyone has extreme potential, and he even goes as far to state that everyone’s potential is in fact limitless; however, this is not necessarily true. In accordance to Sussex Journal, although “enriched environments will help everyone achieve their potential” it will not be “to equality” (http://www.loni.ucla.edu/~thompson/PDF/TT_ARN05.pdf). This means that everyone has a set potential that is determined by his or her genes and as a result of practice and training, one can achieve that potential. Furthermore, to increase one’s intelligence level, one must train strenuously and often.
While the old saying practice makes perfect is incorrect, perfect practice does in fact make perfect. As Shenk states, “when individuals deliberately push themselves beyond the zone of relative comfort and engage in sustained strenuous physical activity, they [induce] an abnormal state for cells in some physiological systems” (Shenk 69). As a result, body systems, which normally would be turned off, are stimulated and turned on. All of this happens as a result of practice and training. But as Shenk states, it is not just any kind of practice that will produce results in one’s improvements. Only the “type of practice where the individual keeps raising the bar of what he or she considers success” (Shenk 67) will truly raise one’s intelligence and get them closer to their potential.
Furthermore, intelligence levels can also be increased exponentially in one’s early years. Shenk highlights the importance of “reading early and often” (Shenk 47) to increase a child’s intelligence levels for the future. Also, a large amount of speaking, encouragement, high expectations, and one’s ability to embrace failure will enable a young child to increase his or her intelligence level as fast as possible. Perhaps the most important thing to take into account when increasing one’s intelligence level is a growth mindset. A growth mindset truly takes into account GxE in that it does not ignore genetics, but instead adds improvements offered by the environment to one’s genetic makeup. In accordance with Facts For Life, “Recent research confirms that the first five years are particularly important for the development of the child's brain” (http://www.factsforlifeglobal.org/03/) . So in essence, the quickest way to increase intelligence would be training during a child’s first five years. This phenomenon can even be seen in animals as demonstrated by imprinting and Konrad Lorenz (Campbell 1126). In this case, the geese attach to the first “motherly” being they see and learn extremely quickly and adopt the ways of the mother. As a result, the geese learn at highly accelerated rates. This same concept can be seen in the case of early learning in humans. “From the moment of conception, the neurons (nerve cells) of the brain multiply faster than any other cells in a baby's body” (http://www.brillbaby.com/early-learning/introduction-to-early-learning/why-is-early-learning-important.php), and “The rapid pace of baby brain development continues into early childhood: at birth, the brain weighs 25 percent of its adult weight; by age one, 50 percent; by age two, 75 percent; and by age three, 90 percent” (http://ww.brillbaby.com/early-learning/introduction-to-early-learning/why-is-early-learning-important.php). This is why it is extremely important for young children to begin learning at an early age.
Since children’s minds are extremely malleable at a young age, they are open to conditioning. Take operant conditioning, which is when “animals learn to associate one of its own behaviors with a reward or punishment” (1127). Mothers and Fathers with children often find themselves unconsciously doing the same thing. When kids are little, they are often rewarded for doing their chores or homework with candy. Eventually, kids will start to do these tasks expecting the same reward, even though there will be none. As a result, children do in fact learn from these habits that they develop from classical conditioning because they associate it with a reward, but in reality their reward is the increased intelligence that they gain.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, there are numerous ways in which one’s intelligence level can be increased, but in the end genetics do play an integral role in that they set the bar for one’s potential, though this is a disputable statement.