Professor Arthur Costa, Emeritus Professor of California State University, Sacramento, defines sixteen types of intelligent behaviour called "habits of mind". These habits will aid students to perform well in school and everyday life as they encounter life's challenges. Habits of mind encourage thinking skills essential to all school activities and lifelong self-directed learning.

Professor Arthur Costa maintains that a critical attribute of intelligence is not only having information but also knowing how to act on it. The habits of mind that contribute to this intelligence are:

1. Persisting

2. Managing impulsivity

3. Listening with understanding and empathy

4. Thinking flexibly

5. Thinking about thinking (metacognition)

6. Striving for accuracy

7. Questioning and prosing problems

8. Applying past knowledge to new situations

9. Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision

10. Gathering data through all senses

11. Creating, imagining, innovating

12. Responding with wonderment and awe

13. Taking responsible risks

14. Finding humour

15. Thinking interdependently

16. Remaining open to continuous learning

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