What Is Intelligence?: Beyond the Flynn Effect PDF
Preview What Is Intelligence?: Beyond the Flynn Effect
This page intentionally left blank What Is Intelligence? Overthepastcenturytherehavebeenmassiveincreasesin IQtestscores.Manypsychologistshavestruggledto understandtheimplicationsoftheseIQgains.Dothey meanthateachgenerationismoreintelligentthanthe last?Dotheysuggesthoweachofuscanenhanceourown intelligence?Thesegainswerecalledthe‘‘Flynneffect’’to recognizethecentralroleplayedbyJamesR.Flynnin measuringthem.However,Flynnhimselfconfessedthat hewasunsureoftheirsignificance. Finally,inWhatisIntelligence?BeyondtheFlynnEffect, ProfessorFlynnisreadytotakeastand.Oneofthemost creativeandinfluentialpsychologistsworkinginthefield ofintelligence,heoffersanewpictureofhumanintelli- gencethatisbothsurprisingandilluminating. WhatisIntelligence?bridgesthegulfthatseparatesour mindsfromthoseofourancestorsacenturyago.Itisa fascinatingbookthatmakesanimportant–andlasting– contributiontoourunderstandingoftheevolutionof humanintelligence. JAMES R. FLYNN isProfessorEmeritusattheUniversityof Otago,NewZealand,andarecipientoftheUniversity’s GoldMedalforDistinguishedCareerResearch.In2007, theInternationalSocietyforIntelligenceResearchnamed himitsDistinguishedScientistoftheYear. What Is Intelligence? Beyond the Flynn Effect JAMES R. FLYNN CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521880077 © James R. Flynn 2007 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2007 ISBN-13 978-0-511-60412-6 eBook (EBL) ISBN-13 978-0-521-88007-7 Hardback ISBN-13 978-0-521-74147-7 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. ToBillDickens Whoseintelligencesolvedthefourthparadox TheFlynnEffectisimportant...itissuchnovelfacts, whenfullyinvestigated,thatleadtoanincreasedlevelof understanding.(ArthurJensen,Thegfactor:Thescienceof mentalability,p.330) Whatheknew,andwhattheycouldnothaveknown,was thattheirspecieswouldchangeandthathe,amodern man,...wasnotquitehumaninthesamewayastheyhad been.(SebastianFaulks,Humantraces,p.205) Contents Listoffigures pageviii Listoftables ix Listofboxes x Ackno wledgme nts xi 1 Abombshellinaletterbox 1 2 BeyondtheFlynneffect 4 3 Towardsanewtheoryofintelligence 48 4 TestingtheDickens/Flynnmodel 83 5 Whydidittakesolong? 100 6 IQgainscankill 111 7 Whatifthegainsareover? 143 8 Knowingourancestors 170 AppendixI:Tables 179 AppendixII:Declarationinacapitalcase 189 References 196 Subjectindex 210 Nameindex 214 vii Figures 1 WISC IQ gains 1947 –2002 page 8 2 Pre fronta l cortex and the hippoc ampus 67 3 Bla ck IQ decline s wit h age 123 4 Evi dence that WAIS-III norms are susp ect 136 5 WISCIQgainsathigh,average,andlow leve ls 137 viii
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