Intelligence and IQ tests! (ENG 3010)

Defining intelligence is highly problematic. Is there an 'intelligence' that equips us to solve all kinds of problems and answer all questions, regardless of their nature? Are there different intelligences that help us deal with particular problems and solutions? This has been a forever debate amongst the scientists who study human brain.Many claim there is not one kind of intelligence, but at least eight different types, including verbal and emotional intelligence. One idea of 'intelligence' is the concept of 'General Intelligence', or 'G' as it is commonly referred to as. ‘G’ is used to measure one’s mental performance over a variety of tests. It was found that the same people who did well in a variety of mental tests tended to use only a part of their brains that is termed as 'g'. These observations made scientists believe that single intelligence enables us to undertake everyday mental tasks. There are a number of different methods which purport to measure intelligence, the most famous of which is perhaps the IQ, or 'Intelligence Quotient' test. Modern day IQ tests measure a variety of different types of ability such as verbal, mathematical, memory and reasoning.Many see IQ tests as an assessment of an individual’s problem solving ability rather than general intelligence. However, they are not even a comprehensive test of someone's problem solving ability. They aren't an accurate test of creativity, practical knowledge, and other skills involved in problem solving. So how can IQ tests be seen as a measure of intelligence? ‘Whether IQ tests actually test general intelligence’? will always remain debatable.