Reading Chapter 21 and
working on the different sections of the discussion post really encouraged me to
think this week. I learned a lot of new information from our textbook,
especially about Robert Sternberg’s three forms of intelligence. Sternberg
feels that standard intelligence scores are misleading, so he proposed three
different groups that intelligence can be broken down into. Analytic intelligence
includes mental processes such as abstract planning and information processing.
Creative intelligence gives one the capacity to be innovative and flexible. Practical
intelligence involves the skills that one uses in everyday situations, such as awareness
and insight (Berger, 2011, p. 587-88). I think proposing these three categories
was a smart move on Sternberg’s part, because a person might have advanced
intelligence in only one or two of these categories, and it would be unfair for
him or her to be called “unintelligent” just because they do not get a certain
score on an IQ exam. Not only did I learn all this new information, but I also
thought a lot about my personal experiences too. When writing about whether or
not I thought that an employer should be able to use an IQ test as a method of
hiring employees, I thought a lot about the situation at my job. I work as a
cashier at a drug store, a job that I admit is not very intellectually challenging.
However, prospective employees do need to fill out their high school GPA on the
employment application. Based off information I found in a peer reviewed
article this week, school grades are an indicator of self-control, which the
researchers determined helps students complete tasks and behave in a proper
manner. Thinking about my workplace, I believe it is important for my boss to
hire people based off of the way that that present themselves and their work
ethic, not necessarily their level of intelligence.
References
Berger, K. S. (2011).
The developing person through the life span (8th ed.). New York:
Worth
Publishers.
I agree with the text that a single test is not a good indicator of intelligence. However, I do think that employers should be able to use an IQ test as part of the hiring process simply because it gives them another piece of information to use. If it comes down to two applicants who have equal qualifications, I feel that it is acceptable to use an IQ test as sort of tiebreaker. It also provides a unique aspect to the hiring process and while I do not think it should be the sole factor in the decision, I have no problem with it being used as a compliment. I believe that a high or mid-range score does not provide much information about an applicant, but I do think that a very low score would possibly be a sign that the person would not be a good fit. Again, this should not be the only factor in the hiring process. It should only be used if a decision cannot be made otherwise. Either way, I believe that enough people would see this as unethical and it would not become a part of most hiring processes.
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