rumpleforeskins

rumpleforeskins t1_j21xbbx wrote

Reply to comment by imagine_that in Schooling substantially improves intelligence, but neither lessens nor widens the impacts of socioeconomics and genetics by i_have_thick_loads

Good point. I guess that's a good way to point out "intelligence"--given that two people learn the same meta skills, one may still outperform the other when applying those new skills in a new test. Perhaps they're exhibiting greater general intelligence. ¯\_(:|)_/¯

I'm definitely speaking from intuition, so I hope I've made that clear enough.

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rumpleforeskins t1_j20x803 wrote

Reply to comment by Victra_au_Julii in Schooling substantially improves intelligence, but neither lessens nor widens the impacts of socioeconomics and genetics by i_have_thick_loads

Because you can learn techniques to improve these very things. Eg a computer science class will teach you how to think generally about problems and assess time/space complexity, and will show you how to break down big problems into small ones, which is a generally applicable skill, not just for writing code.

Reading courses can teach you techniques to broaden your reading width and anchor on word segments rather than whole words. It can teach you to read the first and last sentence of a paragraph first and then summarize what you just read after each paragraph so you improve retention and concept abstraction, both of which are generally useful skills.

SAT prep course can teach you how to use process of elimination to invalidate potential answers and reduce the set possible solutions. That is a generalizable skill that helps with executive problem solving more broadly.

If you're looking for citations im afraid I can't provide those off the top of my head (like I said I don't study intelligence). But intuitively I'd venture that many of the things we attribute to intelligence are just skills like the ones I mention above that have been practiced or happen to be specific talents of individuals, and are in many cases ones that can be practiced and improved.

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rumpleforeskins t1_j1zis9s wrote

Reply to comment by louislinaris in Schooling substantially improves intelligence, but neither lessens nor widens the impacts of socioeconomics and genetics by i_have_thick_loads

Yeah. I don't know much specific about this topic, but it always struck me that if general intelligence describes things like pattern recognition and problem solving ability, I'm almost certain those things can be practiced and improved, and therefore people can increase their "intelligence". Eg you can learn to break down big problems into smaller problems, and you can learn reading techniques that improve comprehension and speed.

"Intelligence" is a weird thing. I've always found it easier to just focus on "being good at" this or or that.

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