Dimensions of Talent and Ability: A Critical Look at Multiple Intelligences, and How They Really Manifest
Dimensions of Talent and Ability: A Critical Look at Multiple Intelligences, and How They Really Manifest A popular idea touted as an alternative or "better" version of the standard scientific definition of intelligence (i.e., general intelligence, IQ) is the "multiple intelligences" theory, which suggests that there are many "types" of intelligences, such as musical, naturalistic, spiritual, visual, interpersonal, etc. While a popular idea, it is not really grounded in true axes of differences in humans and some do not much constitute the concept of an ability, and most of the “multiple intelligences” are found to not be separate from IQ and general intelligence (Visser et al. 2006). However, it is clear that all talent, ability, and successful outcomes aren't entirely covered by the general factor of intelligence, and it might be useful for individuals to have awareness of the different axes of ability and what they relate to, as opposed to the commo...