Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Sternberg earned his BS From Yale in 1972 and Ph.D from Stanford 1975. Currently at Yale.
Sternberg's Mental Self-Government Model
Sternberg (1990) proposed a model for intellectual style using the metaphor of mental self-government. He described people as systems which need to govern themselves in a parallel manner as societies need to govern themselves. The model was directed at the ways in which individuals organize and apply their intelligence. An individual's style is independent of intelligence.
Sternberg (1990) identified four major forms of government: Monarchy, Hierarchy, Oligarchy, and Anarchy. Three major functions in government are legislative, executive, and judicial. People differ in their balance of predilection toward these three functions. Most people have some skills in each, but tend to prefer one over the others. Governments can act globally (foreign affairs ) or locally (internal affairs). Sternberg incorporated all these aspects of government into his model. Table 1 summarizes characteristics of individuals whose style parallels each of the four forms of government. Table 2 shows the three functions of government and intellectual style. Table 3 summarizes the four levels of governmental focus and intellectual style.
Table 1. The Four Forms of Government and Intellectual Styles
Monarchic Style:
1. Motivated by one thing at a time
2. Single-minded, driven
3. Attempt to solve problems rapidly, and tend to ignore obstacles
4. Self un-aware
5. Intolerant, inflexible
6. Little sense of priorities and alternatives
7. Tend to oversimplify problems
8. Decisive and opinionated
9. Too single-minded for most teachers, but may be high achievers in life as entrepreneurs.
Hierarchy style:
1. Motivated by a hierarchy of goals or tasks
2. Good at ranking and prioritizing
3. Balanced approach to problem solving
4. Handle high degree of complexity
5. Self-aware, tolerant, flexible
6. Systematic in problem solving and decision making
7. Best balance for formal education
Oligarchic style:
1. Motivated by multiple, often competing goals
2. Perceive goals to be of equal importance
3. Competing approaches to problem solving
4. Much goal conflict and tension
5. Handle high degree of complexity
6. Self-aware, tolerant, flexible
7. Difficulty setting priorities
8. Work best if others set priorities for them
Anarchic style:
1. Motivated by undifferentiated goals
2. Random approach to problems
3. Driven by a variety of forces
4. Unclear and/or unreflective on their goals
5. Overly simplistic
6. Self-unaware, intolerant, excessively flexible.
7. No firm rules or criteria for prioritizing
8. Asystematic
9. Educational and social misfits
Table 2. The Three Functions of Government and Intellectual Style
Individuals with a Legislative Style:
1. Enjoy creating, formulating, and planning for problem-solving.
2. Make their own rules
3. Prefer an independent way of doing things
4. Find original problems to solve
5. Enjoy creative and constructive activities such as writing, project design, and creating new systems in fields such as business and education.
Individuals with an Executive Style:
1. Implementers
2. Work well with rules and pre-existing systems
3. Prefer to work with prestructured problems
4. Work best with predefined activities such as solving engineering or legal problems, giving talks or lessons based on others' ideas
5. Good at enforcing rules and traditions
Individuals with a Judicial Style:
1. Good at analysis and criticism
2. Evaluative problems
3. Good at forming and giving opinions
4. Tend toward judging people, work, and programs
Sternberg (1990) discussed classroom implications for his metaphor, stating that primary and secondary schools tend to reward executive types most. Students who work within the existing rule systems and seek the rewards the schools or teachers value (grades, performance, good behavior) tend to produce the best academic performance at these levels. Judicial types are rewarded more in college and post-graduate programs where criticism and judgement are more highly valued. Legislative types may not be rewarded until graduate school, where originality in research, writing, and presentations are valued. The fit between students and teachers is a factor in the success of a course or program. Sternberg gives examples for a variety of classroom situations.
Table 3. The Four Levels of Governmental Focus and Intellectual Style
Globalists:
1. Prefer large, abstract issues
2. Ignore or dislike detail
3. Work best with concepts and ideas
4. Can easily lose focus and get lost in abstraction
Localists:
1. Prefer concrete problems
2. Detailed work
3. Pragmatic and down-to-earth
4. Difficulty seeing the larger picture
Internalists (Domestic affairs):
1. Introverted
2. Task-oriented
3. Aloof,
4. Less socially sensitive
5. Like to work alone
Externalists (foreign affairs)
1. Extroverted
2. People oriented
3. Socially sensitive
4. Work best in groups or teams
Learning Theory Bibliography
Sternberg, 1990
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