In the argument, Shenk cites two studies which demonstrate high levels of unconventional intelligence in unexpected places. The first, conducted by Sylvia Scribner, was described as "carton calculus" in a Baltimore dairy plant where carton packing workers who had performed poorly on IQ tests demonstrated incredible abilities at calculating the precise movements necessary to fulfill their duties while exerting the least physical strain (48-49). The second study of Kenyan children showed an inverse relationship between their knowledge of herbal medicine and their performance on tests by western education standards (50). With this evidence, argue from an evolutionary standpoint whether the way the western world categorizes and values these various types of intelligence is valid or if they belong on equal footing. How do environment and potential changes to an environment play a role in this assessment?
Kate White (kw2020@gmail.com)
In western culture there are two phrases that one has heard before: “street smarts” and “school smarts.” Many believe that to get ahead in life, one must possess “school smarts.” But, this in fact is not true. As Shenk explains, individuals may do poorly on IQ tests, western education standards tests, and other school related topics, but that does not mean that they will not succeed in life. Although basic reading, writing, and math skills are necessary for success in life (since these three aspects apply to an average human’s everyday life), they are not all that is needed. In the Baltimore carton factory, the workers proved that they may not have an excellent understanding of textbook information learned at school; however they do have the intelligence to minimize the amount of effort needed to do their job. This intelligence comes from their “street smarts” rather than their “school smarts.” Robert Sternberg, the scientist who led the study on the Kenyan children, came up with the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence. This states that intelligence is made up of analytical intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence. Analytical intelligence would be the traditional “school smarts,” the information a person learns in school from textbooks. Creative intelligence is the ability to problem solve and “generate new ideas.” While practical intelligence would be the “street smarts,” which both the Kenyan children and the Baltimore workers have. (http://www4.uwsp.edu/education/lwilson/learning/STERNB1.htm).
ReplyDeleteFrom an evolutionary standpoint, “street smarts” have been equally needed over the duration of the human race as much as, if not more than, “school smarts.” This is because of evolution. When the first humans roamed the Earth, they didn’t have textbooks that explained why certain foods were poisonous to the human race. Instead they learned what foods not to eat by trial and error. As the human race progressed, natural selection took part in the enhancement of humans. The humans had mutations that allowed them to survive and reproduce easier. These mutations then became a regular occurrence in the progressed human race. As humans advanced, so did their knowledge. They began to understand why certain foods can harm the human body, and they were able to see if a food was poisonous before ingesting it. But if it weren’t for the original idea of trial and error, the “street smarts” of the first human beings, then the human race would not be around or nearly as advanced. This proves that “street smarts” are just as important as “school smarts.”
The environment plays a role in this assessment because the environment affects the “street smarts” of people. In Kenya, herbal medicines are known because of the environment. They do not have as advanced technologies as western civilizations may have. So Kenyans use their knowledge of plants and herbs to find remedies for certain sicknesses. If the environment were to change in Kenya, then the Kenyans would most likely adapt. If they were unable to adapt, then they would migrate or die (they do not have a choice in the matter, evolution would cause one of the three to occur). If western civilization were to have an environmental change that removed our technology, then we would have to use our “street smarts” to help us survive and reproduce.
“School smarts” are needed for survival along with “street smarts.” The Kenyans and the Baltimore carton workers show this notion ideally. The environment has an effect on the types of “street smarts” an individual knows, but these “street smarts” help the individual succeed at life.
(Alexis Bauer, abauer9182@gmail.com)
While the notion of “Street Smarts” vs. “School Smarts” is a catchy rhetorical device, neither one addresses the nature of intelligence on it’s own. Rather, the Western education system is conglomerations of factors that generally play into the ability to problem solve, an element Shenk largely ignores in favor of “Genius.” In terms of the evolutionary capacity for intelligence, rather the problem solving ability that allows a species to survive and reproduce via cunning, the human mind in nearly infinitely powerful in its processing power, with over 100 million Million Computer Instructions per Second (http://library.thinkquest.org/C001501/the_saga/compare.htm). Because of the intense pressures of natural selection, the human brain has the ability to adapt extremely quickly after birth. In this respect, the European model of intelligence is only appropriate for cultures that share characteristics with the European environment (not environmental but in philosophy of intelligence). This is because the human brain is an organ, which is extremely social, being, shaped primarily by interactions with others of the species.
ReplyDeleteWestern society, values the ability to solve problems largely rooted in the empirical realm and the conceptual realm, but in actuality the real test of intelligence is entirely dependent on the society’s perception of it. Because we are considered social beyond the extremely social structures of the primate brain, we have evolved in an environment that offered a selective advantage to some altruistic aspects (Ted.com on oxytocin). However, Western society has never been an all-encompassing group, with micro cultures like the diary plant discussed by Shenk. In that specific social environment, the most favorable pathway for the body would be the most efficient. However, when those of a specific social group are put into another role, they have less relative skill based intelligence when compared with those suited to the role. An example Shenk uses is that of when highly educated “White-collar workers from the same factory as the carton packers occasionally filled in with assembler tasks, they wouldn’t begin to amtch the case-filling expertise of an experienced low-IQ assembler” (49). On the other hand, in a nomadic micro-culture, intelligence may be best measured by ability to forage for food most efficiently. In other words, this means that whoever can solve problems the most efficiently is considered the most intelligent. Additionally, ability to operate successfully in a social structure is another measure of intelligence. This is especially important in that the one ability that is theorized to have been responsible for the selective pressure on the human population necessitating such a powerful brain was the demand of a complex social life of constant competition and cooperation with others in a social group (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/317/5843/1360.full). In terms of social-cognitive science, this connects to the differences in brain activity of different ethnicities in relation to what traits the environment favored. Ben Campbell of University of Wisconsin theorizes one distinct example of that to be the increased incidences of hyperactivity in the nomadic Ariaal in Kenya, whose lifestyle selects for those who are most intelligent in relation to the tasks required to survive and reproduce (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/173/abstract). By essentially selecting which socio-cultural aspects would be advantageous in a population, the environment affects how each culture/micro-culture considers cognitive intelligence.
(Alex Nye, alex.nye95@gmail.com)