Age and Expertise

The relationship that is between expertise and age is not very straightforward. Time is an essential requirement for expertise. Not everyone becomes an expert on a certain subject as they older but everyone needs months, maybe even years of practice. Some researchers believe that practice is extensive. Several hours a day for at least 10 years but that only may be true in some areas. Surgeons have to have a lot of practice. I see an orthopedic surgeon for my shoulder and he had to do two surgeries. He had to pracptice the procedures I received. He isn't very old at all and he is a very good surgeon. Age doesn't necessarily determine if you are an expert on a subject but practice does. The longer you practice the more expertise you gain.

While I was reading about family skills it was interesting to see the discussion on expertise was focused on occupations such as surgeons, taxi drivers, and even pilots. They had many more male workers than female. Recently, we have seen two shifts occurred that changed this picture. The first shift was many more woman are working in occupations that were formally for men. A woman who was told she couldn't be a surgeon because she was a women became an anesthesiologist and developed a scale that has saved millions of newborns. Half the new medical doctors today in the United States are women. The second shift is the study of woman's work gained a new respect in today's society. In earlier generations, women would say they were either "just a housewife" or a "nonworking mom" but recently in today's society work at home has come to be important and both men and women do it. The reason this relates to expertise is because many wives and mothers aren't necessarily that great at that job and fathers had to take on the more domestic emotional roles. Nowadays the term "maternal instinct" is no longer assumed that every mother has it and are protective of every child. Many mothers experience postpartum depression, financial stress, or even bursts of anger and are unable to provide for the care that the child needs. I don't necessarily believe that the older a mother is the more patience they have. We all are human and we all go through experiences that cause us to grow up quickly and to act older than we should. When you lose a family member like a parent at a younger age like 14 and there is only one income you learn how to manage things like money and how to help your family whether it is to either get a job or help with siblings and maybe just around the house.

Developmentalists have not pinned down all the components of an expert in the emotional work of raising a family. I don't think anyone will be an expert in raising a family no matter if they find all the components of what makes an expert because every person is different and every person believes in what they want to believe. I know I am no expert at being a mom but I am learning more and more everyday.

Chapter 21- Intellegence

According to Sternberg there are 3 fundamental forms of intelligence. They are analytic, creative and practical. Analytic intelligence includes all the mental processes that foster academic proficiency. This is done by efficient learning, remembering, and thinking. This draws on abstract planning, strategy selection, focused attention and information processing. This also applies  to verbal and logical skills. Having strength in these areas are available in emerging adulthood, mostly through college and graduate school and for job training. Some jobs you can use abstract thinking. An example of analytic intelligence are multiple-choice tests and short essays that are used to remember information, the questions will give only one correct answer.

Next is Creative intelligence. Creative intelligence involves the capacity to be intellectually flexible and innovative. Creative thinking is considered a divergent rather than a convergent. This values the unexpected, imaginative, and unusual, rather than standard and conventional answers. He developed tests for creative intelligence that includes writing a short story called "The Octopus's Sneakers" or planning an advertising campaign for a new door knob. Scoring high usually are by those with the most unusual ideas.

Lastly is Practical intelligence. Practical intelligence involves the capacity to adapt one's behavior to the demands of a certain type of situation. This will help gain an accurate grasp of expectations and needs of others. This also applies the awareness of particular skills that is called for. Sometimes practical intelligence is called tacit intelligence because it is obvious not on tests. Instead it comes from something called "street smarts" or "the school of hard knocks." I have come to learn that you need street smarts not necessarily book smarts. No abstract test can test your practical intelligence but adults are observed as they cope with the challenges throughout their daily lives. Sometimes when an employer is hiring someone they may give them an actual situation that could possibly occur by asking how the applicant would be able to handle it. Then the person is hired for a trial period, to see how well they will perform. Many managers are not really that brilliant but they are creative and they are proficient to overcoming the obstacles that pertain to daily life.

Analytic ability involves critical thinking. Creative ability involves going beyond what is given to either generate a book or to come up with new ideas. Practical ability involves implementing ideas. This type of intelligence is typically applied to real world contexts.

IQ Tests

We always want our children to be smart and do well in school thus, to make sure of that we have them take an IQ test. Parents want what is best for there children but also want to see where they are on a scale from average to genius. However, can a number really tell us that or is there more to it. As I stated in our discussions this week I really don't think that the IQ tests are accurate. There are so many other factors that are included. I'm curious to what the IQ tests really score. Just because someone scores a low score doesn't mean they are going to be a burn out. That be said I believe that personalities and parenting styles have a lot to do with this. One thing that really comes to mind is how this one autistic kid in my school could memorize and play Beethoven symphonies which I was astonished by. However, he may have had a lower IQ score than a more advanced child in the things they are testing. To me a child doesn't have to be good a core subjects to be a genius; maybe they are good at archery or art or even the piano. I don't think a number should matter.

IQ during the World Wars

During World War I, a way was needed to evaluate and assign recruits. This led to the rapid development of several mental tests. The testing generated controversy and much public debate in the United States. Nonverbal or "performance" tests were developed for those who could not speak English or were suspected of malingering. After the war, positive publicity on army psychological testing helped to make psychology a respected field. Subsequently, there was an increase in jobs and funding in psychology in the United States. Group intelligence tests were developed and became widely used in schools and industry. L.L. Thurstone argued for a model of intelligence that included seven unrelated factors (verbal comprehension, word fluency, number facility, spatial visualization, associative memory, perceptual speed, reasoning, and induction). While not widely used, it influenced later theories.

David Wechsler produced the first version of his test in 1939. It gradually became more popular and overtook the Binet in the 1960s. It has been revised several times, as is common for IQ tests, to incorporate new research. One explanation is that psychologists and educators wanted more information than the single score from the Binet. Wechsler's 10+ subtests provided this. Another is Binet focused on verbal abilities, while the Wechsler also included nonverbal abilities. The Binet has also been revised several times and is now similar to the Wechsler in several aspects, but the Wechsler continues to be the most popular test in the United States.

Post 2 expertise and age

I found another section in this chapter which describes expertise and age. This could be found in our textbook on page 598. I found this very interesting because I know a lot of people including myself thinks that intelligence is greater when you are older. However, I learned that the essential requirements for expertise is time (Berger, 2011). I found it interesting that not everyone becomes an expert as they grow older, but how people need to grasp the hold of time and the more they are trained and practicing the more expertise they will gain. I found it interesting that I think parents and older people know everything dealing with your health, your life and your career, but I learned that's not necissarily true. "People who are experts in a specific field are often quite inexpert in others (Berger, 2011)." This really stuck out to me because I know a lot of people think their parents know everything because they lived in different times and have experience but just because they have experience doesn't mean they are an expert at what they are teaching you. I also found it interesting in this section that expertise sometimes overcomes the effects of age. I really found this interesting because I always thought grown ups have a sort of one up of everyone due to their experience but that does not constitute their intelligence. I thought this was also funny because my dad is the type of man to think that he's an expert on everything. After reading this chapter I can happily say that he is not an expert in everything he thinks he is! Overall this chapter was very interesting learning about the history, the present and the future of our intelligence and why the range can be so different. I learned a lot that I never knew about culture, schooling and how IQ tests even started. This makes me see the problems with intelligence and testing and why it may effect our future and present day. This also described and helped me learn why intelligence may be valued, shut down , and viewed differently. Overall , great chapter. 

I'm very interested in how stress impacts our bodies especially our health so these statements in our textbook caught my attention "People high in fluid intelligence were more often exposed to stress but were less likely to suffer from it: They used their intellect to turn stressors into positive experiences."

I've noticed that what one person views as a highly stressful experience another persons considers only mildly stressful because they knew how to respond to the stressor.

Last week I had a lot of assignments due, i.e. many stressors. I had the brilliant idea (IMO) to use the research from a research paper to write an article in another class. Because I had the fluid intelligence to make my work load lighter, the stressors caused me less stress. I felt so good about my cleverness I sent the article to one of my mentors who then commended me on the content, which definitely turned it into a positive experience.

During a group project my co-student mentioned that she's good at improvising. So good that people think she knows what she's talking about, even when she doesn't. She uses her quick wit (intelligence) to get herself out of a pinch. Rather than being daunted by the stressor, she jumps on it.

People with high fluid intelligence believe problems are meant to be solved. When we think of ourselves as smart and capable stressors are more likely to serve as stepping stones than road blocks on our path to success.

IQ testing

I really enjoyed creating my discussion post about IQ testing for this week. I have never personally been through an IQ test, so I don't know much about it first hand. But I never knew there was so much controversy over them because of how the results are being used. I know that you are asked to answer questions that pertain to your memory, ability to see pattern, and other similar areas of intelligence. From what I read, the issue comes from professionals using IQ test scores to diagnose learning disabilities, like ADHD, in children. Also, the results are full measures of intelligence because it doesn't take into consideration other areas a person could be extremely talented and gifted in, like music or art. From what I gathered, this test is good for measuring intelligence in order to help with their schooling.

Intelligence

The theory of multiple intelligences is a theory of intelligence that differentiates it into specific (primarily sensory) "modalities", rather than seeing intelligence as dominated by a single general ability. This model was proposed by Howard Gardner in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner articulated seven criteria for a behavior to be considered intelligence. These were that the intelligences showed: potential for brain isolation by brain damage, place in evolutionary history, presence of core operations, susceptibility to encoding (symbolic expression), a distinct developmental progression, the existence of savants, prodigies and other exceptional people, and support from experimental psychology and psychometric findings.

Gardner chose eight abilities that he held to meet these criteria: musical–rhythmic, visual–spatial, verbal–linguistic, logical–mathematical, bodily–kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. He later suggested that existential and moral intelligence may also be worthy of inclusion. Although the distinction between intelligences has been set out in great detail, Gardner opposes the idea of labeling learners to a specific intelligence. Each individual possesses a unique blend of all the intelligences. Gardner firmly maintains that his theory of multiple intelligences should "empower learners", not restrict them to one modality of learning.

Different Types of Intelligence

I find that diversity, especially among people, makes life beautiful and interesting. Berger mentions that different intelligence types are valued depending on a person's age or culture (Berger, 2008). I like that Sternberg recognized that there are different types of intelligence--analytical, creative, and practical (1988, as cited in Berger, 2008).

Sometimes I forget that I grew up (and currently reside in) a multicultural household. My dad's parents are native Filipinos while my mom's are European/American. Now that I'm older, I recognize that the two different sides of the family value separate types of intelligence. 

I can't always tell if my dad's family's values are the result of the Filipino culture or are specific to the family. They place a high value on analytical intelligence. There has always been a high amount of pressure to achieve academically on that side on the family. One of my aunts is a typical "Tiger Mom." She frequently boasts about her sons' straight A's on facebook and insists that they perform on piano at every holiday gathering.

My mom's family values analytical intelligence but really prizes creative intelligence. I believe this stems from my Grandma on that side--known for her water color paintings, decorating, and cursive handwriting. My Grandad on that side is a psychiatrist. He's very analytical but also has a creative musical side. When I think of my mom's family I think of music. She and her five siblings sing together at holiday gatherings. 

I'm really glad that I was exposed to the creative side of intelligence at an early age. Without it, I fear the world would be very dull.

Berger, K.S. (2008). The developing person through the life span (7th ed.). New York:

Worth Publishers.

Fluid Intelligence vs Crystallized Intelligence

I've got to say, I think I possess a bit more crystallized intelligence than I do fluid intelligence. But I could be wrong. I thought that this section of the chapter was interesting, and it allowed me to really understand the difference between the two forms of intelligence. It makes sense to me that older people begin to lose their fluid intelligence, while their crystallized intelligence may be abundant. The textbook talked about how we often use the word quick to describe someone who we see as smart, while we use the word slow to describe someone we feel is a bit dumber. This really does explain which intelligence we rely on more in terms of first impressions. However, I bet we've all met that older person, or perhaps even a younger person, who may not be unmatched in fluid intelligence, but they know quite a bit about an array of subjects. Those people who seem to know every fact within a certain topic are also thought of to be extremely smart, right? I just think it's interesting that we can determine whether or not someone is "smart" based on two completely different measurements of intelligence. It seems that the topic of intelligence and how we measure it will continue to change as the years go on.

Intelligence

I'm going to talk about expert cognition. This is kind of what I started to talk about in my discussion post yesterday. I talked about how employers shouldn't be able to test the IQ of their applicants because of expert cognition. People can have a low IQ score, but be very handy in a specific area. Employers should base their hiring over their communication and people skills, and the skills necessary for their job. If a person is applying to be a translator with a company and are very skilled in language abilities and language comprehension, they shouldn't need to see their IQ tests or test math skills. I know personally my uncle knows everything to know about cars. He knows different types, parts, how to make them and put them together and anything else you could think of. However, if I were to ask him an english question or to help me write a paper, he would be unable to help me whatsoever. Another example of this that was partially talked about in the text was our parents and penmanship. My step mom can write grammatically correct and in perfect cursive because of how she grew up and what schooling she took place in. I couldn't write a legible paper in cursive for the life of me because it wasn't taught after second grade.

intelligence

The chapter this week made me think about gifted programs that are common in many public schools and their merit. As is shown by the text there are many different forms of intelligence and likewise intelligence changes, or at least is very hard to concretely measure. A child who performs at a high level academically in 3^rd grade, around the time often that children begin to be selected for such programs, might perform very differently in just some years. Rates at which children excel, learning gaps ect. Vary so much. The study that I read yesterday for our discussion pointed out that academic success often has more to do with emotional discipline than intelligence. Which certainly seems to make sense to me. Its really a very complex subject, especially when one begins to consider the cultural aspects that effect our use and acquisition of different kinds of intelligence. This points out to me that at a young age, gifted and talented programs should not be used until the students leave middle childhood and become more developed in their habits and have fully formed basic knowledge/skills.

Intelligence in Age and Culture Post 1

What I found very interesting in this chapter is the intelligence section of age and culture and how intelligence is intertwined in the two. This section can be found on page 588 at the bottom of the page in our textbook.  I liked to learn about the difference in culture, and what creative intelligence means in some aspects of culture. In one part of this section it states that in some social aspects or in the arts, creativity is a better predicator of accomplishment than traditional measures (Berger, 2011). However in other cultures creativity can be out of touch, scorned, ignored and even killed (Berger, 2011).  A lot of contributors of good art were not recognized until there death. I found that interesting because I know just from some movies and documentaries I have seen some poor people were very creative and it always infuriated me how much their art was worth after they died. It always made me a little sad because of the money they could have made at the time if someone just recognized them. Next, something I also found interesting is defining practical knowledge in adult life from what they need, do not need and use in their minds. I found it interesting that few adults need to define obscure words (analytical), a few need to write papers, invent a new gadget (creative) (Berger, 2011). When it comes to adult minds they all however need to solve real world challenges such as keeping up with their home, finances, emotional needs for their family members etc. (Blanchard, 2007). I found it interesting that in some cultures creativity is a blessing and in others it is scorned and not looked upon its worth until the contributor has died. I also found it interesting that many have different lives and ranges of intelligence due to their profession. However, they have one thing in common and that is solving real world problems. I think this section was very interesting because I got to learn some background of creative intelligence and adult intelligence as well. 

Age and Intelligence; Cross-Sectional Research and the Flynn Effect

                In chapter 21 the author of the textbook goes into details about the research on the age of intelligence. I found this part relatively interesting due to how they had initially thought that after adolescence the mind basically starts declining. I like how the US Army thought of people reaching their peak at the age of 18 which lead me to believe that people could quite possibly become even further advanced. My idea is that quite like the physiology of people reaching their most fit and best shape aptitude in their mid 20s that people’s minds should also act accordingly due to it being a time of solid adjustments from college years to them becoming societies resources.

                Another part of this section that was interesting was them studying those from a small area in New England. I found it to be of value due to them basically keeping people who have been born and raised there (somewhat like the nature vs. nurture argument) and that were genetically made of the same fabric within families (kind of like the research behind twins). The people from New England showed to be reaching their optimum intelligence quotient (IQ) between 18- 21 similar to the study the US Army brought to our attention.

                The Flynn Effect was another thing that I could understand and more so be able to see when it comes to how people evolving over time. I like to think that over time people should be able to gain more intelligence than their ancestors due to the vast resources we have in this day and age. Developed countries do have a significant advantage, however; we must do our best to take advantage of such things.

Chapter 19 Post 1

When I was going through chapter 19 I noticed a section on Friendship. Friendship is important for every stage of development. The male-female friendships was interesting for me to read because I have a lot of male friends. They are important in my life. Romance can sometimes occur with this type of friendship but it is highly unlikely. They are less common for people at the extremes of gender identity. Sometimes problems can arise when people start assuming that every male- female relationship is sexual. When a female is in a relationship with a male, to avoid partner jealousy the female won't have a friendship with another male. My senior year I saw this first hand and dealt with it. I was in a class of 9 girls and the rest were guys well you had to make friends so most of my friends ended up being guys. The guy I was seeing at the time got jealous but he was also in college making a bunch of new friends in general. We both got so wrapped up in our jealousy that we forgot about our relationship then ended up breaking up. We stayed friends but once I got a new boyfriend he called me a whole bunch of names. Every once and a while we will talk now but I can no longer trust him. Sometimes male-female friendships are difficult to maintain when you are in a serious relationship or maybe sometimes it can end up working to your benefit. 

Chapter 19 Post 2

Hey guys! Sorry for the late post, apparently someone has been trying to hack into my g-mail account along with any websites I use with g-mail. I had to talk to customer service yesterday and they helped me all out with it but it took a day. This has been happening pretty recently, due to a virus I have on my computer so I have to change my password frequently. Once again, sorry about that.

Now moving on to my second post for this week, to "Finding Each Other and Living Together" which correlates also with my post from this week with how social media affects relationships. My facts, statements and ideas are evolved from page 531 in our textbook. In the paragraph “Finding Each Other and Living Together” it tells and shows us that people are connected to the internet now, not only relying on it for information, but also relying on it to help us find love. There are both negatives and positives when it comes to love online; it gives you a variety of many different partners, however it can also give you choice overload. Choice overload is “when social networking may produce too many potential partners.” (Berger, 531).  Choice overload can make you have second thoughts and actually make you not want to make a decision. I thought this was interesting because I never heard of choice overload when it comes to finding potential mates online. This can make it hard on someone trying to find a potential mate because they cannot chose and make this harder for them. I also wanted to state that social media is affecting how we meet people, again, in both good and bad ways. I think it is great that we can meet people online because sometimes it is hard to meet in person, but I also want to note that since it is so easy to meet someone online, it diminishes the role of meeting someone in person. I was saying in my last discussion post I think a lot of marriages and relationships are not lasting because a lot of people are not getting to know each other properly. I know a few people who met online and have gotten married and it hasn't worked. I know today some people are fine and meet their soul mate but I think online dating diminishes our social contact and doesn't promote social contact with others. Online is a different story than in person and meeting. A statement to support my view on this is “A problem with such matches is that passion is hard to assess without meeting in person.” (Berger, 531). Bringing into topic the three dimensions of love: passion, intimacy, and commitment…I think it is hard for people to create these boundaries of love as strongly when they have been talking online and not leading up to these dimensions in getting to know each other in person. Another section that should be noted is that meeting online leads to sometimes disappointment in a person. This is so because many people look different in pictures and may act a certain way and then see each other and don’t like each other. Which could lead to hurt, defeat, self-esteem problems and rejection just from the different expectations that were set online. Overall, I chose this topic because I think social media has a big impact on how people meet each other. I think meeting people online has both its ups and downs, but I generally think that it will affect an upcoming relationship differently if they were not meeting in person.