Robert Sternberg proposed a triarchic theory of intelligence that distinguishes between three types of intelligence: context, experience, and information-processing skills. Characterize each and note how Sternberg's view of intelligence differs from traditional views and methods of assessing intelligence

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The contextual component refers to one's ability to adapt one's behavior to the demands of the environment in a particular context--in other words, practical intelligence or "street smarts.". This aspect of intelligence is included in some traditional definitions but is minimally tapped on traditional intelligence tests. The experience component of Sternberg's theory refers to the extent to which familiar tasks have become automatized with practice. Sternberg argued that it is a sign of intelligence when we can "run off" automatized routines in much of our daily life so that we have more processing space available for dealing with novel tasks. Since equal experience cannot be assumed for different children taking traditional IQ tests, it is difficult to assess whether a particular answer reflects a rather rapid, intelligent response to a novel problem or a rather slow, unintelligent response to a very familiar one. To the extent that a particular test reflects the experience of some subgroups more than others, a test can be considered to be culturally biased. The third component, information-processing skills, refers to the processes utilized in reaching solutions to problems--not the correctness of the answers.