{"id":2002,"date":"2026-09-15T09:18:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T09:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entri.app\/explore\/?post_type=curriculum&p=2002"},"modified":"2026-09-15T09:18:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T09:18:50","slug":"gardners-multiple-intelligences-and-sternbergs-triarchic-theory","status":"publish","type":"curriculum","link":"https:\/\/entri.app\/explore\/montessori\/gardners-multiple-intelligences-and-sternbergs-triarchic-theory\/","title":{"rendered":"Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gardner’s theory is based on the idea that the mind is not a single, holistic entity, but instead consists of distinct, independent modules. In his 1983 book Frames of Mind, Gardner described seven different types of intelligence, later adding two more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Intelligence Type<\/strong><\/td>\nUsed In<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Linguistic<\/td>\nReading, writing, or comprehending speech.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Musical<\/td>\nMusical appreciation, composition, and performance.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mathematical-Logical<\/td>\nArithmetic, numerical calculation, and logical reasoning.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spatial<\/td>\nArranging objects spatially, visual art, and finding one’s way around.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bodily-Kinesthetic<\/td>\nSport, dancing, and everyday movement and dexterity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Interpersonal<\/td>\nRelating to others, interpreting social signals, and predicting social outcomes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intrapersonal<\/td>\nUnderstanding and predicting one’s own behaviour and identifying aspects of the self.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Naturalistic (added later)<\/td>\nSensitivity to features of nature; compassion for nature \u2014 strong in wildlifers and botanists.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Existential (added later)<\/td>\nSensitivity to or capacity for tackling deep questions about human existence \u2014 the meaning of life, consciousness, mortality.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

This nine-intelligence framework is a direct descendant of the culturally-situated view introduced at the end of Topic 3 \u2014 where Spearman and Thurstone debated how many factors sit inside a single general intelligence, Gardner rejects the idea of a single general intelligence altogether, treating each of these nine as its own independent module.<\/p>\n

Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Robert Sternberg (1988a, 1997b) developed the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence, proposing three types of intelligence: contextual, creative, and analytical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Type<\/strong><\/td>\nAlso Known As<\/strong><\/td>\nWhat It Involves<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Contextual Intelligence<\/td>\nPractical intelligence<\/td>\nThe ability to adapt to the environment or situational demands \u2014 applying knowledge to the real world, and adapting to or modifying one’s environment to fulfil one’s needs. People high in this intelligence are ‘street smart’ and often successful in life.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Creative Intelligence<\/td>\nExperiential intelligence<\/td>\nThe ability to develop new ideas or ways of solving a problem or tackling a situation, using previous experience to make new inventions. People high in this intelligence are highly creative.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Analytical Intelligence<\/td>\nComponential intelligence<\/td>\nThe ability to think abstractly and appraise a situation, measured by traditional intelligence tests. People high in this intelligence tend to score well on IQ tests, and are strong at critical\/analytical, mathematical, and verbal tasks, often excelling academically.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

It’s worth noticing how Sternberg’s analytical intelligence lines up closely with what traditional IQ tests actually measure \u2014 while his contextual and creative intelligences capture real-world and inventive abilities that a standard IQ test tends to miss entirely. In that sense, Sternberg’s theory can be read as an attempt to broaden intelligence testing rather than replace it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences Gardner’s theory is based on the idea that the mind is not a single, holistic entity, but instead consists of distinct, independent modules. In his 1983 book Frames of Mind, Gardner described seven different types of intelligence, later adding two more: Intelligence Type Used In Linguistic Reading, writing, or comprehending […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"curriculum-category":[113,114,130],"custom_linking_tags":[],"class_list":["post-2002","curriculum","type-curriculum","status-publish","hentry","curriculum-category-montessori","curriculum-category-montessori-tutorials","curriculum-category-intelligence"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGardner's Multiple Intelligences and Sternberg's Triarchic Theory - Entri Free Materials<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/entri.app\/explore\/montessori\/gardners-multiple-intelligences-and-sternbergs-triarchic-theory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gardner's Multiple Intelligences and Sternberg's Triarchic Theory - Entri Free Materials\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences Gardner’s theory is based on the idea that the mind is not a single, holistic entity, but instead consists of distinct, independent modules. 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