Human beings have expended a great deal of energy and used up a lot of time trying to understand just why we act the way we do. This effort focuses on trying to determine what we are thinking (sometimes if we are thinking). Psychologists, psychiatrists and many others in different walks of life want to know how our brains work, what our "minds" are and how the mind controls and directs our actions. Even with all of this effort the subject remains as much a mystery as it ever was, except for a few interesting and useful bits of information. Much of what we expound on is based on theory - educated guesses about how the human mind works. Only in the past few years has technology allowed research scientists to get behind the curtain, so to speak, and discover more about this fascinating and frustrating subject. Some of the recent success is due to psychotechnology. But just what is this thing called psychotechnology and how can it shed light on a subject that has remained in the dark for so long? First of all, the non-scientist should understand that this is a very general term. It is not limited to a specific set of rules or psychological tools. There are tests and data involved, just as there are tests and data involved in classic psychoanalysis. Some written histories of psychotechnology begin with the mechanical means employed by Ivan Pavlov a century ago. These means were combined with observation and recorded data. He used this combination of tools to answer some of the questions he had about behavior and response to stimuli. In recent years, psychologists have used standard testing to obtain details about individual intelligence, likes, dislikes, habits and so on. The technology used was basic and simple, though computer programs and the Internet have added considerably to psychotechnology. With this new computer help scientists have been able to analyze and theorize more accurately and in more detail.

Howard Gardner definisce che le attività umane sono riconducibili a diverse forme di intelligenza come: 1) - l'intelligenza linguistica/verbale che usa il linguaggio per farci capire ad esempio quando leggiamo i giornali, quando scriviamo una lettera, o quando siamo ad una riunione di lavoro; 2) - l'intelligenza logico/matematica che permette di usare e apprezzare relazioni astratte e di ragionamento; 3) intelligenza musicale quando abbiamo la capacità di pensare in musica; 4) - intelligenza spaziale che permette di orientarsi nello spazio; 5) - intelligenza corporea-cinestesica quando utilizziamo il corpo o una parte per risolvere un problema o fare qualcosa; 6) - intelligenza interpersonale che utilizziamo quando lavoriamo in gruppo, dove è necessario negoziare con gli altri; 7) - intelligenza intrapersonale rappresentata dalla comprensione di se stessi.