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30 - Practical Intelligence

from Part VI - Kinds of Intelligence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2019

By
Jennifer Hedlund
Edited by
Robert J. Sternberg
Robert J. Sternberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
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Summary

Practical intelligence has been referred to as “street smarts” or “common sense” and is typically contrasted with “book smarts” or general academic intelligence. The concept emerged from a recognition that success with solving abstract, academic problems did not necessarily translate to success with solving real-world, practical problems, and vice versa. This chapter reviews research aimed at better understanding the cognitive underpinnings of practical intelligence, its distinctiveness from general intelligence, and its relationship to performance. Particular attention is given to research on tacit knowledge, or the unspoken, practical know-how that often differentiates expert from novice performance. Tacit knowledge has been found to be related to successful performance in domains as diverse as sales, primary education, college admissions, military leadership, information technology, and policing. The chapter concludes with promising directions for future research on the acquisition and dissemination of tacit knowledge as a means of enhancing the development of practical intelligence.

Keywords

practical intelligencecommon sensetacit knowledgeknowledge acquisitionexpertiseproblem-solvingsituational judgment tests
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence , pp. 736 - 755
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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