Measuring Intelligence
Introduction
The perception of intelligence has been widely contested throughout time following the inception of the IQ test. Many theories have been proposed, yet no single definition of intelligence has been nor will be universally accepted without major disagreement between researchers.
A large amount of intelligence research over the years has focused on explaining the causes of intelligence, and where it comes from. Certain psychological theorists have suggested that intelligence is primarily an inherited quality, or instead, what this paper will focus on, primarily a trait influenced by a child's environment, more specifically the ideas proposed by Lev Vygotsky. As it turns out after doing the research, many theorists’ views have merit. Currently, a majority of researchers agree that at least some combination of both genetic and environmental factors are contributing to the development of intelligence in children.
Developmental Characteristics in Physical Domain
The physical brain processes defining intelligence are obviously not completely understood, but much research has focused on the following factors: brain size and speed.
Although brain size has shown some correlation to higher intelligence, it is important to see that this is not a cause and effect relationship. The number of neurons in the brain may sometimes show a higher intelligence quotient, yet they have not found that this increase in size leads to an improved ability to retain more knowledge.
Over the years scientists have often seen that brains of more intelligent patients have demonstrated less brain activity while completing menial tasks in a test environment. This has lead to several hypotheses suggesting speed of brain activity is a sign of higher intelligence. This is easily demonstrated with puzzles or various other visual tests where it can be seen that one patient is easily outperforming their counterpart in making quick and correct decisions....