Sternberg's triarchic theory of intelligence

introduction a. Processing components b. Contextual components c. Experiential components: Adapting to

unique experiences Improving intelligence

introduction

Robert Sternberg believes that the ability to function effectively in the real world is an important indicator of intelligence

He views intelligence as consisting of three cognitive parts:

a. Processing components (skills used in problem solving)

b. Contextual components (links between intelligence and the environment)

c. Experiential components (mechanisms for modifying intelligence through experience). Figure p. 121

Sternberg's triarchic model of intelligence

Performancecomponent

Adapting to theenvironment

KnowledgeAcquisitioncomponent

Processingcomponents

Meta-component

Contextualcomponents

Changing theenvironment

Intelligence

Experimentalcomponents

Selecting out ofThe environment

Relate newExperiences

To old

CreateNew patterns

Processing components

They consist of a metacomponent, a language acquisition component, and a performance component.

They are the most basic parts of his model that learners use to think about and solve problems.

Sternberg describes these component as analogous to manager, trainee, and laborer in a company.

The three components work together to produce a final product.

Processing components

For example student writing a term paper:

1. Deciding on a topic, planning the paper, and monitoring progress as its written = metacomponent (manager)

2. gathering facts and combines them into related ideas = knowledge acquisition component (trainee)

3. doing the actual writing = performance component (laborer)

Contextual components

These explain how intelligent behavior involves adaptation.

In reaching goals, intelligent people adapt to, change, or select out of the environment when necessary.

A student trying to succeed in a college course may do the following;

1. adjusts her study strategies in response to a professor's testing procedures (adapts)

2. she can't clearly hear his presentations, so she moves to the front of the class (changes the environment)

3. despite these efforts she isn't succeeding, so she drops the class (selects out of the environment)

contextual components help us apply our intelligence to the solution of everyday, real-word problem.

Experiential components: Adapting to unique experiences Sternberg thinks that intelligent

behavior includes: a. the ability to effectively deal with

novel experiences; and b. the ability to solve familiar problems

efficiently and automatically An intelligent person relates new

experiences to old and quickly identifies relationships.

Experiential components: Adapting to unique experiences

Example A beginning reader encounters the word she.

Teacher says, "shheee." Then the reader encounters the word show.

Teacher says, "this word sounds like 'shho.'" Next the student sees the word ship. He tries

pronouncing it himself: "ship." He now has a rule to decode future words. When s

and h are together, they go "shh." According to Sternberg, an intelligent child readily

recognizes patterns and soon can use rules automatically. This ability increases with age.

Improving intelligence

Sternberg believes that practice in relating new to existing ideas improves intelligence.

Sternberg emphasizes three different kinds of thinking that improve intelligence through allowing students to process information in different ways:

a. analytic- involves comparing, contrasting, critiquing, judging, and evaluating.

b. creative- includes investigating, discovering, imagining, and supposing

c. practical- includes implementing, applying, using, and seeking relevance in ideas.