The Surprising Hidden Wonders of 'Pictorial-Plastic Intelligence' Included in the Expanded MI Theory of 'Drawing and Making Things'!

Thank you for visiting again today.

Today is about 'pictorial-plastic art.' Recently, when I covered spatial cognitive ability on 'note,' I received some comments. Spatial cognitive ability is also given an important position in the field of 'painting.' Pictorial-plastic art is a high-level intelligence that can be said to be a synthesis of human intelligence. I will summarize that point today.

Howard Gardner's MI theory consists of eight types, but in his later years, he suggested multiple developmental frameworks, such as naturalistic intelligence and existential intelligence. On the other hand,
intelligence that is easily visualized in early childhood to childhood is not sufficiently covered by Gardner's eight, and it needs to be reorganized from the perspective of learning and cognitive psychology.

Therefore, I have expanded it to 12 types of intelligence, considering the growth and development during this period, as follows:
1. Linguistic intelligence 2. Logical-mathematical intelligence 3. Spatial intelligence 4. Temporal intelligence
5. Naturalistic intelligence 6. Interpersonal intelligence 7. Social intelligence 8. Intrapersonal intelligence
9. Emotional intelligence 10. Musical-rhythmic intelligence 11. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
12. Pictorial-plastic intelligence

- Treating cognitive domains with high independence in developmental psychology, such as 'space,' 'time,' 'society,' and 'emotion,' as separate dimensions
- Having a perspective that examines physical manipulation ability, including 'manual dexterity,' in detail separately from bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
- Treating art (pictorial-plastic art) not as 'mere expression' but as an 'independent intelligence'
This perspective is consistent with the

expanded MI theory required in 21st-century educational psychology
.

▢ The Essence of Pictorial-Plastic Intelligence: This intelligence is a 'synthesis of complex brain functions'

Pictorial-plastic intelligence is not just 'being good at drawing.' In reality, it is a meta-intelligence that integrates the following 5 huge domains.

1. Visual Information Processing Ability (Visual Intelligence)

• Shape discrimination, color perception, pattern recognition, visual attention

This is high-level processing in the occipital and temporal lobes of the brain. What develops rapidly, especially in early childhood, is 'shape discrimination' and 'color categorization', and these are deeply related to language development and spatial cognition.

2. Reproducibility/Copying Ability (Working Memory × Precision Movement)

• Visual memory (short-term memory and long-term memory)

• Retention of positional relationships

• Fine motor skills of the hands

Drawing is a high-level act of 'remembering what you saw (or an image in your head) and reproducing it with your hands.' This is visual working memory + motor coordination, which is a high-difficulty ability even in developmental neuroscience.

3. Understanding of Mathematical Structure (Mathematical Perspective/Scale)

・Perspective, reduction/enlargement, preservation of proportional positional relationships
These are essentially 'mathematical thinking'. The very process by which a young child naturally adjusts the following when drawing:
・Size balance of figures
・Positional relationship with the background
・Expression of depth
uses the same brain circuits as mathematical spatial cognition.

4. Ability to Express/Symbolize Emotions (Emotional Intelligence)

The greatest feature of pictorial-plastic intelligence is the 'ability to symbolize the inner self (emotions/thoughts) externally'.
・Expressing movements of the heart through color
・Giving shape to experiences
・Idealizing/deforming observed phenomena
This is 'pre-linguistic communication' that appears earlier than verbalization, which is extremely important in developmental psychology.

5. Imagination/Creativity (Creative Intelligence)

"Drawing" is the act of moving between the "visible world" and the "invisible world".
- Memory → Transformation
- Reality → Abstraction
- Concrete → Structuring
This ability is at the heart of "Creativity" and is closely related to future problem-solving skills.

3. The "Hidden Wonders" of Visual-Artistic Intelligence and Its Extended Domains

In fact, this intelligence contains a "vast treasure trove" that education has yet to unearth.

◆ Wonder 1: High Level of Brain Integration Ability

Visual arts require "Vision × Space × Mathematics × Movement × Emotion × Creativity" which is the most complex comprehensive ability required in education.

This is a domain that even Piaget and Vygotsky could not fully analyze.

◆ Wonder 2: Promoting the Development of Reading and Writing (Linguistic Intelligence)

It has been proven by the latest cognitive neuroscience that art education enhances
- Memory of character shapes - Control of lines
- Precision of visual perception
. In other words, it indicates that

developing visual-artistic intelligence → raises the foundation of language skills.

◆ Wonder 3: Foundation for Mathematical Ability

Sense of perspective, ratios of objects, and structuring of shapes become the foundation for figures, arithmetic, and geometric thinking
. There are studies showing that formative activities in early childhood strongly influence math grades.

◆ Wonder 4: Emotional Stability and Mental Health

Expression through color, shape, and drawing promotes
- Stress reduction
- Alleviation of anxiety
- Self-integration
, which is why "art therapy" is used in psychotherapy. Visual-artistic intelligence is deeply connected to mental health intelligence.

What do you think? We learn subjects like art casually at school, but such content is contained within that background. Looking at it this way, we can see that all the subjects taken up in school are intelligences classified into the 12 categories of cognitive psychology. These intelligences are essential for human growth, and those who excel in each, whether in art or physical education, possess abilities equal to or greater than those in math, Japanese, or English.

I will explain other intelligences on another occasion. Today, I wrote about content I hadn't talked about yet, based on the comments I received. Thank you for reading until the end.

Finally

In my daily practice, I strongly felt the need to re-examine the starting point of learning, and I opened the official note of the Ishikawa Education Research Institute (IERI) as a place to pass on my 50 years of educational philosophy to the next generation. How can we rebuild future education starting from "words"? I hope to walk with friends who will learn together and nurture the future while sharing those thoughts and initiatives.

Started a note.

IERI-style Encouragement of Learning

What is the IERI Method?

Ishikawa Education Research Institute Official Note