November 06 '24•study tips• psychology• learning styles

Understanding Multiple Intelligences

Areas of a brain and indicated on a white glass head shape.

What Kind of Intelligence/s Do You Use Most?

Harvard professor Howard Gardner, after years of research, came up with an analysis of how people demonstrate intellectual activity. These are known as multiple intelligences. Like learning styles, we all use these intelligences to some degree, but some may predominate.

Visual/Spatial Intelligence: The Ability to Perceive the Visual.

If you identify with this type of intelligence, you tend to think in pictures and need to create vivid mental images to retain information. You probably enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and movies.

If You are a Visual/Spatial Learner, Your Skills May Include:

  • Puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, a good sense of direction, sketching, painting, creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical objects, interpreting visual images. 
  • Possible career interests: navigators, sculptors, visual artists, inventors, architects, interior designers, mechanics, Engineers.

Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence: The Ability to Use Words and Language.

If you fall into this group, you have highly developed auditory skills and are generally an elegant speaker. They think in words rather than pictures. 

If You are a Verbal/Linguistic Learner, Your Skills May Include:

  • Listening, speaking, writing, story telling, explaining, teaching, using humor, understanding the syntax and meaning of words, remembering information, convincing someone of their point of view, analyzing language usage.
  • Possible career interests: poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, translator.

Logical/Mathematical Intelligence: The Ability to Use Reason, Logic and Numbers

As a Logical/Mathematical learner, you think conceptually in logical and numerical patterns making connections between pieces of information. You're always curious about the world, ask lots of questions, and like to do experiments. 

If You are a Logical/Mathematical Learner, Your Skills May Include:

  • Problem-solving, classifying and categorizing information, working with abstract concepts to figure out the relationship of each to the other, handling long chains of reason to make local progressions, doing controlled experiments, questioning and wondering about natural events, performing complex mathematical calculations, working with geometric shapes. 
  • Possible career interests: scientists, engineers, computer programmers, researchers, accountants, mathematicians.

Body/Kinesthetic Intelligence: The Ability to Control Body Movements and Handle Objects Skillfully

If this includes you, you express yourself through movement. You have a good sense of balance and eye-hand coordination. (e.g. ball play, balancing beams.). Through interacting with the space around you, you are able to remember and process information. 

If You are a Body/Kinesthetic Learner, Your Skills May Include:

  • Dancing, physical coordination, sports, hands-on experimentation, using body language, crafts, acting, miming, and using your hands to create or build, and expressing emotions through your body.

Musical/Rhythmical Intelligence: The Ability to Produce and Appreciate Music

If you are a musically-inclined learner, you think in sounds, rhythms, and patterns. You'll immediately respond to music either appreciating or criticizing what what you hear. You ight be extremely sensitive to environmental sounds (e.g. crickets, bells, dripping taps.)

If You are a Musical/Rhythmical Learner, Your Skills May Include:

  • Singing, whistling, playing musical instruments, recognizing tonal patterns, composing music, remembering melodies, understanding the structure and rhythm of music.
  • Possible career interests: musician, disc jockey, singer, composer.

Interpersonal Intelligence: The Ability to Relate and Understand Others

If you fall into this group, you try to see things from other people's point of view in order to understand how they think and feel. You often have an uncanny ability to sense feelings, intentions, and motivations. You are a great organizer, although you sometimes resort to manipulation.

Generally, you try to maintain peace in group settings and encourage cooperation. You use both verbal (e.g. speaking) and non-verbal language (e.g. eye contact, body language) to open communication channels with others. 

If You are an Interpersonal Learner, Your Skills May Include:

  • Seeing things from other perspectives (dual-perspectives), listening, using empathy, understanding other people's moods and feelings, counseling, co-operating with groups, noticing people's moods, motivations and intentions, communicating both verbally and non-verbally, building trust, peaceful conflict resolution, establishing positive relations with other people.
  • Possible career interests: counselor, salesperson, politician, business person.