Question

What is intelligence (and why should we care)?

Answer 1

This is definitely one of psychology’s “big” questions. The study of intelligence has a long history in psychology, going back at least to the early 1900s when educators sought to test the mental abilities of schoolchildren. There is no one, set definition that psychologists generally agree upon nor is there even now one clear-cut way to measure it.  There are also many controversies regarding such issues as whether intelligence is inherited or not, whether men or women are smarter, whether it can be “trained,” and whether being “intelligent’ even makes a difference in your real-life accomplishments. However, psychologists seem to be coming to an understanding that intelligence is more than just academic knowledge and that any good definition must include such attributes as practical knowledge (“street smarts”), self-understanding (emotional intelligence), and understanding of others (“wisdom”).  We should care about what intelligence is because these skills extend well beyond the classroom and can enrich our lives, and the lives of others, in important ways. 

Answer 2

nderstanding (emotional intelligence), and understanding of others (“wisdom”).  We should care about what intelligence is because these skills extend well beyond the classroom and can enrich our lives, and the lives of others, in important ways.