From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@www.aeiveos.com)
Date: Sun Sep 05 1999 - 07:48:27 MDT
On Sat, 4 Sep 1999 hal@finney.org wrote:
I found a reference to the "Types of Intelligence" (from psychologist
Howard Gardner):
http://www.swopnet.com/ed/TAG/7_Intelligences.html
In summary they are:
Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily-kinesthetic, Spatial,
Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal
>
> Keep in mind that these are MICE. They're not going to be inventing the
> theory of relativity. Do you claim that mice simply can't shed any light
> on the mechanisms of human intelligence, because they don't have any?
I would say because you are dealing with mice, the only thing you
are going to be able to test are types of intelligence related to
the survival of mice. Does enhanching LTP improve the linguistic
or musical abilities of a mice ?!?
> What would constitute intelligent behavior in mice, as compared to simply
> memory improvement?
>
Getting faster/stronger memories is going to help "intelligent"
behavior in the respect that you have increased the "capacity".
My argument was, however, that you haven't really altered the
"abilities" (for lack of a better word). Are we impressed
at the person who can rapidly add a sequence of 15 numbers in
their head and give us an answer? Only to a limited degree, they
are only doing what most of us can do with fewer numbers. We
(or at least I) say "you have a good memory", not "you are more
intelligent".
I will freely admit that memory is a foundation that sits
under many of the things we may label as intelligence.
You aren't considered to have much musical "intelligence"
if you can't remember a fairly long sequence of notes.
However, how does memory relate to something like
"perfect pitch" which is considered by some to be
a very important part of musical "abilities".
The thing I was objecting to in the article abstract however:
> Our results suggest that genetic enhancement of mental and
> cognitive attributes such as intelligence and memory in mammals is
> feasible.
was the use of the word "intelligence". I recognize that
they said "mammals" and did not extropolate to humans, this was
done by the news media. Now maybe I'm splitting hairs, but to
me the improvement of intelligence calls for an expansion in the
cognative abilities rather than just the capacity.
To me an improvement in intelligence would be more along the
lines of "synesthesia", a rare disorder, discussed in the book
"The Man who Tasted Shapes", by Richard E. Cytowic, MD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262531526/
In this disorder, you have the creation of a whole new realm
of "intelligence".
I personally have a fairly good memory and am very good with spatial
relationships (navigation, etc.). I have a friend who is an interior
designer who once described to me how she works. She *sees* the rooms
she designs as finished products in her minds eye. I can't even remember
what rooms look like, much less take an empty one and fill it with stuff. So
there would seem to be some interaction between the spatial and
"logical-methematical" intelligences that is fundamentally different
between my friend and I. Whether I could develop her skill if I
practiced it or whether her brain has connections between different
parts that I could never form, I don't know.
Intelligence is much more complex than simply memory. My perspective
would be that intelligence is more related to the overall pattern of
interconnections in the brain. LTP may only relate to that from the
perspective that it may facilitate the formation or maintenance of
those connections on a local basis. It doesn't take your motor
cortex and wire it to your spatial rotation operator (which is
probably someplace in the forebrain).
Hopefully that makes it the point I was trying to make a little clearer.
Robert
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