What is Aptitude ? What intelligence means?

Aptitude and intelligence quotient are related, and in some ways opposite, views of human mental ability. Whereas intelligence quotient sees intelligence as being a single measurable characteristic affecting all mental ability, aptitude refers to one of many different characteristics which can be independent of each other, such as aptitude for military flight or computer programming. This is more similar to the theory of multiple intelligences.


On the contrary, causal analysis with any group of test scores will nearly always show them to be highly correlated. The U.S. Department of Labor's General Learning Ability, for instance, is determined by combining Verbal, Numerical and Spatial aptitude subtests. In a given person some are low and others high. In the context of an aptitude test the "high" and "low" scores are usually not far apart, because all ability test scores tend to be correlated. Aptitude is better applied intra-individually to determine what tasks a given individual is more skilled at performing. Inter-individual aptitude differences are typically not very significant due to IQ differences. Of course this assumes individuals have not already been pre-screened for IQ through some other process such as SAT scores, GRE scores, finishing medical school, etc.

Intelligence:-

Intelligence may be defined as the capacity to acquire
knowledge and understanding, and use it in different novel situations.

It is this ability, or capacity, which enables the individual to deal with
real situations and profit intellectually from sensory experience.

A test of intelligence is designed to formally study, under test
conditions, the success of an individual in adapting to a specific
situation.

There are a number of different methods which purport to measure
intelligence, the most famous of which is the IQ, or intelligence
quotient test. In the formation of such tests many psychologists treat
intelligence as a general ability operating as a common factor in a wide
variety of aptitudes.

Whilst many IQ tests measure a variety of different types of ability
such as verbal, mathematical, spatial and reasoning skills, there is now
a second school of thought in which it is believed that the earlier


definitions of intelligence may be too simplistic.


It is now becoming increasingly recognised that there are many


different types of intelligence and that a high measured IQ, although


desirable, is not the only key to success in life. Other characteristics,


such as outstanding artistic, creative or practical prowess, especially


if combined with personal characteristics such as ambition, good


temperament and compassion, could result in an outstanding level of


success despite a low measured IQ. It is because of this that in recent


years CQ (creative quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient), to name


just two examples, have come to be regarded as equally important as,


or even more important than, IQ measurement.