Page 120 - Keys to College Success

KEY 4.1 Each intelligence is linked to specific abilities.

Personality and Learning Preferences
INTELLIGENCE DESCRIPTION AND SKILLS HIGH-ACHIEVING EXAMPLE
Verbal- Ability to communicate through language; listening, ■ Author J.K. Rowling
Linguistic reading, writing, speaking ■ Orator and President Barack Obama

Logical- Ability to understand logical reasoning and problem ■ Physicist Stephen Hawking
Mathematical solving; math, science, patterns, sequences ■ Mathematician Svetlana Jitomirskaya

Bodily- Ability to use the physical body skillfully and to take ■ Gymnast Nastia Liukin
Kinesthetic in knowledge through bodily sensation; coordination, ■ Survivalist Bear Gryllis
working with hands

Visual-Spatial Ability to understand spatial relationships and to ■ Artist Walt Disney
perceive and create images; visual art, graphic design, ■ Designer Stella McCartney
charts and maps

Interpersonal Ability to relate to others, noticing their moods, ■ Media personality Ellen Degeneres
motivations, and feelings; social activity, cooperative ■ Former Secretary of State Colin
learning, teamwork Powell

Intrapersonal Ability to understand one’s own behavior and ■ Animal researcher Jane Goodall
feelings; self-awareness, independence, time ■ Philosopher Friedrich Nietzche
spent alone

Musical Ability to comprehend and create meaningful sound; ■ Singer and musician Alicia Keys
sensitivity to music and musical patterns ■ Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber

Naturalist Ability to identify, distinguish, categorize, and classify ■ Social activist Wangari Maathai
species or items, often incorporating high interest in ■ Bird cataloger John James Audubon
elements of the natural environment

The way Gardner defines intelligence heightens the value of different abilities in dif-
ferent arenas, and debunks the notion that there are only one or two abilities that define
intelligence and success more than others. In Tibet, for example, mountain dwellers prize
the bodily-kinesthetic ability of a top-notch Himalayan mountain guide. In Detroit, auto-
makers appreciate the visual-spatial talents of a master car designer. In a New York hos-
pital, a nurse’s interpersonal intelligence is crucial for job success, as well as the health of
the patients. Send the nurse from New York up Mount Everest, or have the Sherpa design
a car for Chrysler, and suddenly a person who is exceptionally intelligent in one area will
leave much to be desired in another.

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