Why people associate "detail oriented" with intelligence?

[migeru29]

And people who don't pay attention to little details as not very "smart". And this is coming from an Engineer, whereas "detail oriented" skills are supposed to be very important. I had a few issues due to minor errors, yes distractions here and there; and yes sometimes is time consuming but frankly speaking most of the time they appear naturally if you use a minimalist/creative approach and if you know what you are doing.
Abstract thinking and being able to see the big pictures are in my opinion more important that being "detail oriented".. with this being said, i need detail oriented people in my team they are very useful but to call these people "smarter" is wrong.

My honest opinion, sorry for my English I'm not American.

 

[IDL]

Being detail oriented is context sensitive and I don't think seeing the bigger picture precludes it. You just see more detail relevant to the larger context, and leave the lower level details alone since they aren't relevant to that bigger picture. So it depends on what you are doing.

Abstract thinking may be more important but it's not an either or type of thing.

 

[Plutoburn]

Being creative is only a narrow aspect that covers overall intelligence. Memory, analytical skills, and organization skills are all considered by most to be a form of intelligence and trait a detail oriented person need.

 

[Organic Damage]

Being detail oriented is probably more of a useful skill to your corporate masters than the ability to think for yourself.

Gotta be able to put the good ball bearings in the good ball bearings bucket after all.

 

[hohner]

Sounds like you are trying to discredit an aspect of intelligence that you knowingly lack.

Sorry you aren't as intelligent as you thought you were.

 

[Arqueto]

I swallowed a piece of Lego once.

 

[JoshTehV]

And people who don't pay attention to little details as not very "smart". And this is coming from an Engineer, whereas "detail oriented" skills are supposed to be very important. I had a few issues due to minor errors, yes distractions here and there; and yes sometimes is time consuming but frankly speaking most of the time they appear naturally if you use a minimalist/creative approach and if you know what you are doing.
Abstract thinking and being able to see the big pictures are in my opinion more important that being "detail oriented".. with this being said, i need detail oriented people in my team they are very useful but to call these people "smarter" is wrong.

My honest opinion, sorry for my English I'm not American.

Ever heard of something called the multiple intelligences test?

 

[GSP_37]

Clueless fools don't notice anything. Differences, similarities. Cause, effect. This type of person will always need to rely on someone smart and the employer will need to hire two or more people to do the job of one smart normal person.

 

[blaseblah]

I'd argue being detail oriented is far more important than intelligence for the majority of jobs.

 

[Danger Dave]

And people who don't pay attention to little details as not very "smart". And this is coming from an Engineer, whereas "detail oriented" skills are supposed to be very important. I had a few issues due to minor errors, yes distractions here and there; and yes sometimes is time consuming but frankly speaking most of the time they appear naturally if you use a minimalist/creative approach and if you know what you are doing.
Abstract thinking and being able to see the big pictures are in my opinion more important that being "detail oriented".. with this being said, i need detail oriented people in my team they are very useful but to call these people "smarter" is wrong.

My honest opinion, sorry for my English I'm not American.

im detail oriented in that i walk into a room and the first thing i notice is what items i can use to kill shitposters.

 

[Alphaboy]

They notice things most people would overlook, it's easy to see why this can be associated with intelligence.

 

[ralphc1]

Often the details really matter. Someone may have what seems to be a great idea that won't work because of the details. "The devil is in the details".

 

[Madmick]

 

[Camel Jockey]

Intelligent people know which details are important in which situations.

Unintelligent people think some people are naturally "detail oriented" and others are "more creative"

 

[Deleted member 110072]

Being detail oriented is probably more of a useful skill to your corporate masters than the ability to think for yourself.

Certainly I think being very narrowly focused obedient thinking is encouraged in schools(public ones anyway) although that's not automatically analytical.

Fuck all idea where I fall into this, was good at maths in school and tested high on spatial awareness but rather than ending up counting cards in Vegas making autistic noises I'm now a landscape photographer.

 

[Stoic1]

Why not both?

 

[pookiyama]

Detail orientation vs. Pattern Orientation

Typically if your duties require logic/analysis/ or figuring out solutions outside of a set protocol/procedure, detail orientation is a hindrance.

I think employers constantly list it because it's short hand for "we do not tolerate inattentiveness causing mistakes".

 

[TheTickG]

If you don't pay attention to the details, then you fuck something up. If you fuck something up, you are an idiot. That's why detail oriented is connected to intelligence.

 

[Iroh]

It's an aspect of intelligence, but if you are too focused on detail and lose sight of the bigger picture, it will make you less efficient in dealing with that bigger picture. So it can negatively affect another aspect of intelligence.

The best would be to focus on both details and the bigger picture in a balanced manner, with sufficient time and effort alloted to both aspects.

 

[KilledByDeath]

Too many factors involved to judge these useless questions.
Intelligence is over discussed.
Actions are better and easier to consider.