Howard Gardner

Howard Gardner (born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA in 1943) is a psychologist based at Harvard University best known for his theory of multiple intelligences. In 1981 he was awarded a MacArthur Prize Fellowship.

Overview
His most famous work is probably Frames of Mind, which details seven dimensions of intelligence (Visual / Spatial Intelligence, Musical Intelligence, Verbal Intelligence, Logical/Mathematical Intelligence, Interpersonal Intelligence, Intrapersonal Intelligence, and Bodily / Kinesthetic Intelligence). Gardner's claim that pencil and paper IQ tests do not capture the full range of human intelligences has garnered much praise within the field of education but has also met criticism, largely from psychometricians. Since the publication of Frames of Mind, Gardner has additionally identified the 8th dimension of intelligence: Naturalist Intelligence, and is still considering a possible ninth- Existentialist Intelligence. (See Intelligence Reframed).

He recently has written a book, Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People's Minds.

Howard Gardner believes that we all have individual tendencies (areas that we enjoy and excel at) and that these tendencies can be placed within one of the intelligences listed above.

He explored the concepts of creativity and intelligences and the parts they play in children's learning, including the major role that arts education can play in developing basic cognitive skills.

However little empirical work exists that supports his theory and it has often been overlooked within psychology.

Works
Gardner is the author of 18 books, including:
 * Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligence (1983) ISBN 0465025102 (1993 ed.)
 * The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach (1991) ISBN 0465088961 (1993 ed.)
 * Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Gandhi (1994) ISBN 0465014542
 * Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice (1993) ISBN 046501822X (1993 ed.)
 * Multiple Intelligences After Twenty Years, 2003. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, Illinois, April 21, 2003.

See below for research into validity of Gardner's theory:
 * Bennett, M. (2000). Self-estimates and population estimates of ability in men and women. Australian Journal of Psychology, 52, 23–28.