intelligence

1. An person's aggregate capacity to act purposefully, think rationally, and deal effectively with the environment, especially in relation to the extent of one's perceived effectiveness in meeting challenges. 2. In psychology, a person's relative standing on two quantitative indices, measured i. and effectiveness of adaptive behavior; a quantitative score or similar index on both indices constitutes the operational definition of i.. [L. intelligentia]

- abstract i. the capacity to understand and manage abstract ideas and symbols.

- artificial i. 1. a branch of computer science in which attempts are made to replicate human intellectual functions. One application is the development of computer programs for diagnosis. Such programs are often based on epidemiologic analysis of data in large numbers of medical records; 2. a machine that replicates human intellectual functions, although no machine ( i.e., computer) can do this yet.

- measured i. that i. which can be ranked relative to an age or peer group quantitative index by use of scores on i. tests.

- mechanical i. the capacity to understand and manage technical mechanisms.

- social i. the capacity to understand and manage one's human relations and social affairs.

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in·tel·li·gence in-'tel-ə-jən(t)s n

1 a) the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations

b) the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria (as tests)

2) mental acuteness

in·tel·li·gent in-'tel-ə-jənt adj

in·tel·li·gent·ly adv

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in·tel·li·gence (in-telґĭ-jəns) [L. intelligere to understand] the ability to acquire knowledge and use it effectively; see also under quotient.