Kimberly Gonda, age 12, of Poland, Ohio, for her question:
WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR INTELLIGENCE?
Educators use tests to check the intelligence quotients of their students. Scores of IQ tests help teachers judge whether a child is progressing as well as his ability permits. If a child scores high on IQ tests but does not do well in class, a teacher will try to determine what circumstances keep him from learning. Tests provide lots of valuable information.
There is no universally accepted definition of the word intelligence. A person is considered intelligent to the degree that he has the abilities to learn information, understand ideas and use knowledge to solve problems.
Intelligence is sometimes regarded as a combination of qualities that lead to success in school. But some abilities, such as mechanical skill, are not used much in school. As a result, tests designed to measure intelligence include few questions that deal with mechanical skills. And the tests, therefore, do not provide a complete report of intelligence.
A person's intelligence actually depends on both his heredity and his environment.
Every person is born with certain mental capacity that influences how intelligent he will be as an adult. The development of his capacity is influenced by his background.
A child whose family speaks several languages but always has a handyman available to do home repairs will most likely learn a foreign language more easily than mechanical engineering. If a youngster doesn't receive proper nourishment in infancy, he may be unable to develop his natural abilities as he reaches his teen years.
Some people who can easily memorize names and dates may have trouble with mathematical problems. Still others may have great creative talent in art or music or a lot of inventive abilities while seeming to be completely lacking other abilities usually associated with intelligence.
Although creativity and intelligence are related, some persons of above average intelligence do poorly when faced with problems entirely new to them.
A home and school life that encourages learning may result in higher IQ test scores as a child grows older. On the other side, a ghetto child receiving inferior education may score lower and lower through the years.
Intelligence is the capacity for reasoning, understanding and for similar forms of mental activity. It is also the manifestation of such capacity. The degree of intelligence from one person to another are difficult to explain.
Some educators and psychologists oppose using IQ tests for grouping students. They do not think we should label children.