Adaptive Intelligence

What function of intelligence is involved in being adaptable?

1 major component for an individual to be adaptable, is likely, being open minded. In order to adapt to scenarios involving new variables and concepts, the individual should be open to changing their mindsets, in order to react differently than they usually do. With new variables, comes a new outcome to the scenario, and with a new outcome, comes a different reaction, in order to be most beneficial. 

This component of open mindedness, will not necessarily be effective in causing adaptability on its own. It needs to be combined with a method of beneficial selection. In the function of the individual's mind, while being open to changing its reaction to a new scenario, it needs to have the ability to select the most beneficial reaction. Otherwise, an individual might be open minded, but never learn to distinguish which reaction is best. There seems to be 2 basic types of methods of beneficial selection. 1 would be trial and error through the function of subconscious reaction, where the other would be comprehension through conscious thought.

Subconscious trial and error would generally take a lot more time, from a lot more trials, in order to select the most beneficial reaction. I explained more about the process of subconscious reaction in a post from about 1 year ago; Subconscious Subjection. Basically, this process would take more time, because the individual needs to randomly try new reactions repeatedly, in a new scenario, until the beneficial reaction occurs enough times to cause sufficient positive reinforcement for that reaction to be “selected”. 

Besides this process taking a longer time, it would also be unsuccessful at selecting the most beneficial reaction in some scenarios, where there are indirect effects caused by their reaction. Subconscious trial and error is incapable of selecting the most beneficial reaction, if the effects are so indirect that positive or negative reinforcement is not linked in memory, with that reaction. For eg, if an individual overfishes from a lake, and it takes 10 yrs before the fish can no longer repopulate, their subconscious will not be able to make the idirect connection of fishing too much over a long period, to the new lack of fish. The subconscious would only give positive reinforcement each time fish are caught, as a direct short term effect of having food.

Conscious thought would generally be much faster in being adaptable, than subconscious trial and error. When combined with being open minded, conscious comprehension can often quickly select the most beneficial reaction. I further explained it’s function, in a post from 2+ years ago; Conscious Comprehension. Basically conscious thought can allow much faster beneficial selection by focusing on, as well as accessing in memory, more specific factors and interactions involved in any scenario. An individual can access memories of more particular causes and effects of factors, then apply hypothetical causes and effects to a new scenario. This can allow the most beneficial reaction to a new scenario, to be selected quickly by comprehending a new memory combination of the factors and interactions involved in the new scenario. I explained more about the function of comprehending new scenarios, in a post from about 2 yrs ago; Memory Combination Creations. 

This is also the process of function involved in selecting the most beneficial reaction to a scenario with indirect effects. Through a string of conscious comprehension of concepts, someone can determine complex and indirect effects, to then select the most beneficial reaction. For eg, if someone comprehended the requirement of a minimum fish population, through the process of breeding, they could make the connection in memory ahead of time, that overfishing will likely cause all the fish in the pond to completely die out. Consciously considering these indirect causes and effects, could allow the beneficial reaction of fishing less, and allowing more fish in the long run.

Both methods of beneficial selection; subconscious trial and error, and conscious comprehension, can allow adaptability when combined with open mindedness. Since people use both methods of mind function daily, it’s likely that anyone who is open minded will regularly use both types of adaptability. Since conscious thought and comprehension seems to be more effective and efficient, it likely comes down to the degree which someone uses each type, which indicates their degree of; Adaptive Intelligence.