People often talk about the abilities of a person, implying their tendency to a certain type of activity. At the same time, few people think that this concept is scientific and implies the level of development of this quality, as well as the possibility of improving it. Not everyone knows what levels of development of abilities exist, how not to work on how to improve them and learn how to maximize their use. Meanwhile, it is not enough to have any ability, this quality must be constantly developed if you want to really succeed in a certain area.
What are abilities, level of development of abilities
According to the scientific definition, ability is an individual and psychological feature of a specific person, which determines his ability to carry out specific activities. Congenital prerequisites for the emergence of certain abilities are makings that, unlike the first, are laid in the personality from birth. It should be noted that abilities are a dynamic concept, which means their constant formation, development and manifestation in various fields of activity. Levels of development of abilities depend on many factors that should be taken into account for continuous self-improvement.
According to Rubinstein, their development takes place in a spiral, which means the need to realize the opportunities provided by one level of ability in order for a further transition to a higher one to take place.
Types of abilities
The level of development of personality abilities is divided into two types:
- reproductive, when a person demonstrates the ability to successfully master various skills, acquire and apply knowledge, as well as implement activities according to an already proposed model or idea;
- creative, when a person has the ability to create something new, original.
In the course of successful acquisition of knowledge and skills, a person moves from one level of development to another.
In addition, abilities are also divided into general and special, according to the theory of Teplov. The general ones are those that are demonstrated in any field of activity, while the special ones are manifested in a specific field.
Ability Development Levels
The following levels of development of this quality are distinguished:
- ability;
- giftedness;
- talent;
- genius.
In order for a person to have giftedness, it is necessary that there is an organic combination of general and special abilities, and their dynamic development is also necessary.
Endowment - the second level of development of ability
Endowment implies a combination of diverse abilities that are developed at a fairly high level and provide the individual with the opportunity to successfully master any type of activity. In this case, it implies specifically the possibility of mastering, since a person, among other things, is required to directly master the necessary skills for the successful implementation of the idea.
Endowment is of the following types:
- artistic, implying great achievements in artistic activity;
- general - intellectual or academic, when the levels of development of a person’s ability are manifested in good results in training, mastering various knowledge in various scientific fields;
- creative, involving the ability to generate new ideas and demonstrate a penchant for invention;
- social, providing high social intelligence, identifying leadership qualities, as well as the ability to build constructive relationships with people and the possession of organizational skills;
- practical, manifested in the ability of a person to use his own intelligence to achieve goals, knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of a person and the ability to use this knowledge.
In addition, there are types of giftedness in various narrow fields, for example, mathematical giftedness, literary, etc.
Talent - a high level of development of creative abilities
If a person with pronounced abilities for a certain field of activity constantly improves them, they say that he has a talent for it. It should be borne in mind that this quality is also not innate, despite the fact that many are used to thinking so. When we talk about the levels of development of creative abilities, talent is a fairly high indicator of a person’s ability to engage in a certain field of activity. However, do not forget that this is nothing but pronounced abilities that need to be constantly developed, striving for self-improvement. No natural inclinations will lead to the recognition of talent without hard work on yourself. In this case, talent is formed from a certain combination of abilities.
Not one, even the highest level of development of the ability to do something can be called talent, since in order to achieve a result it is necessary to have such factors as a flexible mind, strong will, great ability to work, and rich imagination.
Genius - the highest level of ability development
A person is called genius in the event that his activity has left a tangible mark in the development of society. Genius is the highest level of development of abilities possessed by units. This quality is inextricably linked with the extraordinary personality. A distinctive quality of genius, unlike other levels of development of abilities, is that, as a rule, it displays its “profile”. Some side in a genius personality inevitably dominates, which leads to a vivid manifestation of certain abilities.
Ability diagnostics
Identification of abilities is still one of the most difficult tasks of psychology. At different times, many scientists have put forward their own research methods of this quality. However, at present, there is no methodology that allows with absolute accuracy to identify a person’s ability, as well as determine its level.
The main problem was that abilities were measured quantitatively, the level of development of general abilities was deduced. However, in fact, they are a qualitative indicator that must be considered in dynamics. Different psychologists have put forward their own methods of measuring this quality. For example, L. S. Vygotsky suggested evaluating a child’s abilities through a zone of proximal development. This implied a double diagnosis, when the child solved the problem first together with an adult, and then independently.
Another method of measuring abilities through testing was proposed by the founder of differential psychology, the English scientist F. Galton. The purpose of the methodology was to identify not only the presence of ability, but also the level of its development. First of all, the levels of development of intellectual abilities were studied using tests for general intelligence, then the subject answered a block of questions revealing the presence of special abilities, as well as their level.
The next diagnostic method belongs to the French scientists A. Binet and Simon. Here, first of all, the level of intellectual abilities was determined using 30 tasks, arranged in increasing order of difficulty. The main emphasis was on the ability to understand the task and be able to reason logically how it can be solved. Scientists have suggested that it is this skill that underlies intelligence. They belong to the concept of mental age, which is determined by the level of solution of intellectual problems. Each completed task was a criterion for determining this indicator. After the death of scientists, the tests were translated into English and presented in the United States. Later, in 1916, the American scientist Lewis Terman modified the test, and a new version, called the “Standward-Binet scale”, was considered a universal method for identifying abilities.
There are many methods to identify specific abilities, but all of them are based on the definition of intellectual indicators in the first place. This is due to the opinion of scientists that for the development of creative and other abilities, the level of intellectual development should be above average.
Intelligence Diagnostics
The level of intellectual development of a person implies his ability to use his mind for thinking, understanding, listening, making decisions, observing, perceiving relationships and other mental operations. One of the most widely used methods for determining the degree of development of this quality is IQ tests, which offer a certain set of tasks, and a fixed amount of time is allocated for their implementation. The scale of points that can be obtained when passing this test is from 0 to 160 and represents a range from moronity to genius. IQ tests are designed for people of any age.
Another popular technique - STUR - also reveals abilities. The level of development of intellectual abilities in schoolchildren is the goal of diagnosing this method. It includes 6 subtests, each of which contains from 15 to 25 tasks of the same type. The first two subtests are aimed at identifying the general awareness of students, and the rest reveal:
- the ability to find analogies;
- logical classifications;
- logical generalizations;
- finding the rules for constructing a number series.
The method is intended for group research and is limited in time. High statistical indicators of the STUR methodology allow us to judge the reliability of the revealed results.
Creativity Diagnostics
A universal method for measuring the level of creative abilities is Guilford's method, which exists in various modifications. Creativity qualities that can be identified using this method:
- originality in making associations;
- semantic and semantic flexibility;
- the ability to create new ideas;
- the level of development of imaginative thinking.
In this study, the subject is offered various situations, the way out of which is possible only with a non-standard approach, which suggests the presence of creative abilities.
Qualities that a respondent must have in order to successfully pass the test:
- perception and correct understanding of the proposed tasks;
- working memory;
- divergence - the ability to detect the original in the ordinary;
- convergence - the ability to identify an object by qualitatively different signs.
High development of creative abilities, as a rule, involves intellectual development at an appropriate level, as well as the presence of a person’s self-confidence, sense of humor, fluent speech and impulsivity.
The main difference between tests for identifying creative abilities from similar tools designed to determine intellectual abilities is the lack of a time limit on task solving, a complex structure that suggests the possibility of several solutions, and an indirect construction of sentences. Each successfully completed task in the test indicates the presence of the ability to a particular area of creative activity.
Other methods for diagnosing the level of development of abilities
Human abilities can manifest at any age. However, the sooner they are identified, the greater the likelihood of their successful development. That is why now in educational institutions from a very young age, work is required, during which levels of development of abilities in children are revealed. Based on the results of work with schoolchildren, classes are being conducted to develop the revealed tendencies to a particular area. Such work cannot be limited only to school, parents should also take an active part in work in this direction.
The methods most widely used for the diagnosis of abilities, both general and special:
- “The Everrier problem”, designed to assess the focus of thinking, that is, the extent to which a person can concentrate on the task.
- “The study of memory using the technique of memorization of ten words,” aimed at identifying the processes of memory.
- “Verbal fantasy” - determining the level of development of creative abilities, primarily imagination.
- “Remember and dot” - diagnostics of the amount of attention.
- “Compasses” - the study of the features of spatial thinking.
- “Anagrams” - the definition of combinatorial abilities.
- “Analytical mathematical abilities” - the identification of similar inclinations.
- “Abilities” - identifying the success of activities in a particular area.
- “Your creative age”, aimed at diagnosing the correspondence of passport age with the psychological one.
- “Your creativity” - diagnostics of creative possibilities.
The number of methods and their exact list are determined based on the objectives of the diagnostic examination. In this case, the end result of the work is not the identification of human ability. The levels of development of abilities should be constantly increased, which is why, after diagnosis, work must be carried out to improve certain qualities.
Conditions for increasing the level of development of abilities
One of the most important criteria for improving this quality is the conditions. Levels of development of abilities must constantly be in the dynamics, moving from one stage to another. It is important for parents to provide their child with the conditions for the implementation of his identified inclinations. However, success depends almost entirely on a person’s ability to work and his focus on results.
The fact that a child initially has certain inclinations is not a guarantee that they are transformed into abilities. As an example, we can consider a situation where the presence of a subtle hearing in a person is a good prerequisite for the further development of musical abilities. But the specific structure of the auditory and central nervous apparatus is only a prerequisite for the possible development of these abilities. The specific structure of the brain does not affect the choice of the future profession of its owner, nor the opportunities that will be provided to him for the development of his inclinations. In addition, due to the development of the auditory analyzer, it is possible that abstract logical abilities, in addition to musical ones, will be formed. This is due to the fact that human logic and speech are closely related to the work of the auditory analyzer.
Thus, if you have identified your ability development levels, the diagnosis, development, and potential success will depend on you. In addition to the appropriate external conditions, you should be aware that only daily work will turn natural inclinations into skills that in the future can develop into real talent. And if your abilities manifest themselves unusually brightly, then perhaps the result of self-improvement will be the recognition of your genius.