With the rapid evolution of technology, there is a resulting change in the societal perception of intelligence. With smartphones in everybody’s pockets, almost all of the information we would ever require is made freely available to us at the touch of our fingers. Over time, memory and intelligence have become more and more distinct to a large degree and no longer is somebody who can memorize a large amount of knowledge considered “intelligent” by most peoples’ definition. In school, I remember that the children who could best remember the course material were considered intelligent. Technology is forcing a paradigm shift in that perception because we no longer have to rely on our memory bank to store copious amounts of information.
With this change, the relevance of the “two factor” theory on general intelligence is surfacing as a very important consideration. The two factor theory on general intelligence hypothesizes two different types of intelligence; Crystallized intelligence and fluid intelligence. Crystallized intelligence is the ability to use prior experience, skills and knowledge to solve problems by accessing some information from the long term memory. Fluid intelligence is the capacity to think logically and solve problems in novel situations. As an engineer, both these forms of intelligence are important for ones’ success.
As a professional engineer, you are expected to apply concepts learnt in a university education to real life problems. University education assists in crystallizing the knowledge into the long term memory. This is why for a university education, tests and examinations are important as a gauge of understanding (not as a gauge of intelligence). Thus, when going into the real world, we can perform all the tasks that we once did for marks in a manner that is expected from professionals. Crystallized intelligence also includes learning from prior mistakes and not repeating them. This is obviously important for not just being a professional engineer, but also to survive.
With the evolution of technology, the importance of fluid intelligence is rising. With the access to the body of intelligence on the Internet on our fingertips, some things need not be crystallized into our long term memory. Just like we do not have to waste time on arithmetic labour when we have calculators, I envision a time in which you are not expected to remember information, but apply it. Such an approach is important to solve the bigger problems facing the global community. The idea of open book tests is very important for this. Although there is some debate as to whether or not fluid intelligence can be improved by training, open book tests are the university mockup of real world problems in which you have all the resources available at your disposal to solve problems. With the rate at which the vast body of knowledge known to man is growing, it is going to become imperative that a successful engineer be able to learn new skills rapidly and deploy novel solutions.
Some educators recognize the importance of fluid intelligence and are working hard to train students on developing such skills. One of the first instances of such things are some computer games that we played as children. The Carmen Sandiego series taught me a lot about history and geography and the Magic School Bus taught me about science and environment. I particularly remember a game in which we were supposed to build machines to perform specific tasks by first learning the principles of simple machines and combining knowledge from these modules to integrate a solution. Researchers say that enjoyable educational games increase fluid intelligence by stimulating creativity in ways that encourage plasticity of neurons and also enhance reaction times.
A Scientific American article illustrates a few tips to enhances your fluid intelligence. They are
- Seek Novelty: Do new and challenging things all the time! Novel activity triggers dopamine which is thought to stimulate neurogenesis and make new synaptic connections
- Challenge yourself: There are several activities you can do to challenge your brain. HOWEVER, once you get good at them, it is imperative that you move on to other challenging tasks and constantly challenge yourself
- Think creatively: Learning something in a creative and fun way makes you learn the topic better and have more fun learning. These may include things like rapping what you need to learn etc.
- Do things the hard way: Take the example of GPS. By using a GPS, your weak navigation skills get weaker. Instead, every now and then, challenge yourself to do things the hard way and you will be surprised by the results.
- Network: Meeting people and making connections often expands your horizons and consequently, encourages thinking farther away from “the box”
That is all I have for now. Have fun and get smart NOW.
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