The Theory of Successful Intelligence
Gifted Education Information
The theory of successful intelligence broadening the concept of intellectual giftedness...
-With the Theory of Successful Intelligence there are multiple loci of intellectual
giftedness; meaning there are many explanations for intellectual giftedness.
Sternberg's three main kinds of giftedness and how they are "balanced" in a gifted individual...
-Analytic Giftedness, Synthetic Giftedness, and Practical Giftedness
-These three kinds of giftedness are balanced in the fact that they cover all types of gifted
students. One is a great test taker, one is a creative thinker, and the other is a type
that is goal oriented.
Experience affecting the components of intelligence...
-Depending on novelty or familiarity, experience plays a big role in how problems are
solved.
Contextual functions affected by components of intelligence...
-The components of intelligence are applied to various levels of experience in order to
serve 3 different functions in everyday contexts.
Intellectual giftedness capitalize on strengths and compensate for weaknesses...
-Gifted students use what they know they are good at to remediate their weaknesses to
the point where these weaknesses no longer get in their way.
Sternberg's "Loci of Intellectual Giftedness"...
-A locus of Intellectual Giftedness according to Sternberg means that there are many
different ways to be considered intellectually gifted. By testing students with
various measures we get a better understanding of what area student are gifted in.
The Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test (1993) is different from conventional measures of
intelligence...
- The Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test measures seven separate areas; analytic, synthetic,
automatization, practical abilities, verbal, quantitative, and figural processing;
which is unlike conventional measures of intelligence (which only look at the
analytic aspect).
Related Terms
• Intellectual giftedness – defined by modifying oneself to fit the environment (adaptation),
modifying the environment to suit oneself (shaping) and finding a new environment that
is a better match to one’s skills, values, or desires (selection)
• Analytic giftedness – abilities primarily measured by traditional test of abilities
• Synthetic giftedness – those with the ability to think outside of the box, and creative
• Practical giftedness – these are the type of people that see a problem, find a solution, and make
it work
• Metacomponents – executive processes used to plan, monitor, and evaluate problem solving
and decision making
• Performance components – the processes used to solve a problem (metacomponents decide
what to do, and performance components actually do it)
1. Encoding
2. Inference
3. Mapping
4. Application
• Knowledge-acquisition components – components used for learning new information
1. Selective Encoding
2. Selective Combination
3. Selective Comparison
• Relative novelty – slightly newer information
• Relative familiarity – slightly more familiar (automized)
• Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test – a test that measures analytic, synthetic, automatization,
practical abilities, verbal, quantitative, and figural processing
Gifted Education Facts
The theory of successful intelligence, which recognizes analytic, synthetic, and practical abilities,
is able to identify gifted individuals who are missed with traditional uni-dimensional
theories.
Existing intelligence tests are best used to measure analytic giftedness, but cannot identify
synthetic or practical abilities.
Synthetic giftedness is shown through creative and insightful skills, but may not necessarily have
the highest IQ scores.
Talent in applying analytic and/or synthetic abilities to daily problems is referred to as practical
giftedness.
In the theory of successful intelligence, intelligence is conceptualized within a sociocultural
context.
Metacomponents of intelligence are executive decision-making processes that contribute to
analytic, synthetic, and practical types of giftedness.
Performance components are applied as an individual actually carries out the tasks necessary in a
problem situation.
The knowledge-acquisition components of selective encoding, selective combination, and
selective comparison are used to learn new information.
Insightful people are those who are adept at automatizing and applying information-processing
components to relatively novel situations.
People who contain practical giftedness are adept at the contextual functions of adaptation,
selection, and shaping.
Giftedness may not mean being good at many things, but rather the ability to capitalize on
strength and compensate for weaknesses.
Since giftedness cannot be captured by a single number, we must identify large numbers of
"gifted" individuals to minimize the risk of missing individuals.
Information Provided By:
Sternberg, R. J. (2003). Giftedness according to the theory of successful intelligence. In N.
Colangelo, & G. A. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of gifted education (88-99). Boston, MA:
Allyn and Bacon.