Sternberg's Theory: Detervation And Conditioning

I think I’m more a product of conditioning but if I could choose one over the other I would pick learning through observation and insight. Learning through conditioning is not very creative or intensive on the brain. This learning method although may be very effective for learning new things that are unfamiliar. The way conditioning works is, when you do preform an action that is seen as the correct behavior you get rewarded. This is called positive reinforcement, it encourages you to behave in this way again. An example of this might be when you get a good grade on a test and your parent rewards you for it by giving you money. A second type of reinforcement is negative reinforcement. This method is not as effective as positive reinforcement but still works well.

Sternberg’s theory is composed of three sub parts; analytical, creative, and practical. Analytical intelligence refers to one’s ability to take apart and solve problems that do not seem so simple to solve. For example being able to solve complex math problems with less effort than people who have less analytical intelligence. This type of intelligence is the one that is most commonly tested, usually in school and in IQ tests. People with lower analytical intelligence usually have a harder time in school and have lower IQ scores making this seem like an unfair way to test intelligence. The second type of intelligence mentioned by Sternberg is creative intelligence. Creative intelligence deals with how well one can perform a task depending on how familiar the task is. People with higher creative intelligence can usually perform an unfamiliar task fairly well, compared to people with lower creative intelligence. The third type of intelligence that Sternberg theorizes is practical intelligence. Commonly referred to as “street smarts” this type of intelligence refers to people who can quickly adapt to the demands of the