Have you ever felt that your abilities and intelligence were not accurately represented by an exercise or a test that you took? This is a fairly universal experience that all students are likely to have at some point in their academic careers. Psychologists like Howard Gardner are trying to understand why this happens and how to fix it.
- What are Howard Gardner's contributions to psychology?
- What are Howard Gardner's types of intelligence?
- What is Howard Gardner's test of multiple intelligences?
- How does Howard Gardner's theory relate to learning styles?
- What is the research support for Howard Gardner's theory?
Howard Gardner: Contributions to Psychology
Howard Gardner was born in Pennsylvania in 1943. Gardner was a studious child who was drawn particularly to musical pursuits. He became an accomplished pianist and even taught piano professionally for a time! Music and the arts continue to influence his ideas about cognition throughout his career.
Howard Gardner has an impressive academic journey. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social relations from Harvard College in 1965. While there, he studied under the famous psychologist Erik Erikson. Gardner completed his Ph.D. in developmental psychology at Harvard in 1971. He went on to be a renowned college professor at prestigious universities.
Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983)
Much of Howard Gardner’s research focuses on the nature of human intelligence. Gardner is concerned with what kind of intelligence we express, rather than just how intelligent we may be. This led to the development of his theory of multiple intelligences.
Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences differentiates between eight different types of skills or abilities that are separate but often work together.
Initial research interpreted intelligence as a single general element called the g-factor. The g-factor theory suggests that intelligence can be generalized across different subjects and disciplines.
The g-factor theory recognizes that if someone scores highly on a math exam, they tend to also score highly on a verbal exam.
Other researchers have wondered about expanding the single g-factor. One example is Robert J. Stenberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence, but Gardner's theory contains 8 types instead of 3. Gardner believes that several different types of thinking abilities are at work whenever a person does a task. He theorizes that each different type of ability or skill is governed by a specific part of the brain.
Howard Gardner: Types of Intelligence
Gardner established a basic set of 8 different types of intelligence. However, he allows room for additional types of intelligence to be considered after future research. Gardner’s 8 basic types of intelligence are linguistic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, and naturalist intelligence.
Gardner's theory, StudySmarter Original
Bodily-Kinesthetic
Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence is all about the ability to control the body and to move with accuracy and skill.
Someone who is adept at a variety of sports or dance styles has high bodily-kinesthetic skills. They can move with precision across different types of physical activity.
Interpersonal
This refers to our social intelligence. Interpersonal intelligence includes things like the ability to make deep and lasting connections with others, communicate effectively, and manage and understand the emotions of others.
Sally always knows the right things to say when someone is upset at work. She gets along with everyone. She has high interpersonal or social skills.
Intrapersonal
Intrapersonal intelligence is concerned with the self. It includes our ability to recognize and process our own emotions, self-awareness, mindfulness, and introspection.
Samuel knows how to slow down and listen to himself when times are tough. He has high intrapersonal skills. He can identify his true feelings and react appropriately and effectively to the situation.
Linguistic
Linguistic intelligence is all about language. It includes learning new languages, skills in using and understanding a native language, reading comprehension, writing, and vocabulary skills.
Marion is a total bookworm. She picks up new languages with ease and knocks out essays in a number of hours. She has high linguistic skills.
Logical-Mathematical
Logical-Mathematical intelligence includes basic math skills, formulating hypotheses, and generating logical solutions to problems. It includes logical debate, problem-solving, and reasoning skills.
Stephen Hawking, the English theoretical physicist, is a shining example of someone with high logical-mathematical skills.
Musical
Musical intelligence includes the ability to perform, learn, create, and appreciate music. It involves a sense of rhythm, learning to sing or play a musical instrument, recognizing musical patterns, and understanding music theory.
Prince is a classic example of someone with high musical skills. He was a singer, songwriter, and musician. He could play 27 different instruments! He was also able to understand and create across roughly 10 different genres of music.
Naturalist
Naturalist intelligence includes the ability to appreciate and care for the natural world. This might involve the ability to cultivate plants or take care of pets and animals.
That social media influencer who is always making fresh meals from her garden with her adorable dog in tow has high naturalist skills.
Spatial
Spatial intelligence shows up in the ability to comprehend and utilize spaces in our environment. These skills apply to athletes, performers, painters, sculptors, and simple spatial problem-solving involved in doing puzzles.
Interior designers tend to have high spatial skills. They can look at a space and envision how specific pieces of furniture will fit and complement each other.
Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Test
Gardner’s notion of different areas of intelligence is influencing education and standardized testing. Standardized intelligence tests are usually designed to measure the g-factor. Now educators and academic institutions are beginning to share Gardner’s more dynamic view of human abilities and are interested in nurturing different types of skills.
Howard Gardner is working to reform schools and education in the United States. He uses his theory to create more individualized curriculums and intelligence testing in schools. Additionally, he is the co-director of Project Zero at Harvard College: a research group that studies intelligence, thinking, learning, and ethics, with an emphasis on the role the arts play in cognition.
Project Zero is passionate about the ways that art can help us learn, create community, and inspire action. Their Artful Thinking Project aims to inspire an interest in learning through the appreciation of art. Their Art as Civic Commons Project uses art to inspire civic inquiry and activism.
Howard Gardner: Learning Styles
Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence has been embraced by many teachers and academic institutions. It effectively refutes a one-size-fits-all approach to education and testing. Gardner argues for different levels of abilities across the different categories of intelligence, but he also argues that different learning styles should be taken into consideration when designing effective learning environments.
Someone who struggles with reading comprehension might understand the story better when the material is worked into a graph to visualize the flow of the story.
"By minimizing the importance of other intelligences within and outside of schools, we consign many students who fail to exhibit the "proper" blend to the belief that they are stupid."
- Howard Gardner1
Gardner warned that it is possible to limit a student’s potential by not taking learning style and individual abilities into consideration. If we measure every person by a single intelligence factor, we may end up with unfair, inaccurate scores. When we assess a person's abilities, we should always consider their strengths along with their weaknesses.
Critiques of Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligence
Gardner's theory has faced its share of criticism. It is difficult to measure or quantify things like musical or naturalist intelligence.
Musical ability shows up in a variety of ways. Two people can be very musically inclined but have very different abilities.
Without a standard means of quantifying these skills, Gardner is left without the scientific backing needed for his theory to be completely embraced. Additionally, some studies have pointed out that Gardner's theory lends support to the concept of the g-factor, even without setting out to do so.2
Remember, the g-factor is generalized across different disciplines and subjects. It shows up in many areas of life and academic subjects. G-factor supports the notion that those who are highly gifted in one area are also more likely to be gifted in other areas as well. Broader research into intelligence has changed the way we think about the subject and influenced how we teach and evaluate learners. It is unlikely we will ever find one hard and fast theory of intelligence.
Howard Gardner - Key takeaways
- Howard Gardner is an American psychologist from Pennsylvania.
- Gardner's most significant contribution to the field of psychology is his Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
- Gardner’s 8 basic types of intelligence are linguistic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, and naturalist intelligence.
- Gardner’s notion of different areas of intelligence has influenced education and standardized testing.
- Gardner warned that it is possible to limit a student’s potential by not taking learning style and individual abilities into consideration.
- Gardner, Howard. The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach. Basic Books, 1991
- Sternberg, R. J. (2022). The Search for the Elusive Basic Processes Underlying Human Intelligence: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. Journal of Intelligence, 10(2), 28.
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