Adaptive Intelligence: Surviving and Thriving in Times of Uncertainty PDF
Preview Adaptive Intelligence: Surviving and Thriving in Times of Uncertainty
ADAPTIVE INTELLIGENCE Adaptive Intelligence is a dramatic reappraisal and reframing of the concept of human intelligence. In a sweeping analysis, Robert J. Sternbergarguesthatweareusingafatally-flawed,outdatedconcep- tionofintelligence;onewhichmaypromotetechnologicaladvance- ment, but which has also accelerated climate change, pollution, the use of weaponry, and inequality. Instead of focusing on the narrow academicskillsmeasuredbystandardizedtests,societiesshouldteach andassessadaptiveintelligence,definedastheuseofcollectivetalent inserviceofthecommongood.Thisbookdescribeswhytheoutdated notionofintelligencepersists,whatadaptiveintelligenceis,andhow itcouldleadhumankindonamorepositivepath. RobertJ.SternbergisProfessorofHumanDevelopmentatCornell UniversityandHonoraryProfessorofPsychologyattheUniversityof Heidelberg,Germany.HeisapastwinneroftheGrawemeyerAward in Psychology, and the William James and James McKeen Cattell AwardsoftheAssociationforPsychologicalScience ADAPTIVE INTELLIGENCE Surviving and Thriving in Times of Uncertainty ROBERT J. STERNBERG CornellUniversity UniversityPrintingHouse,Cambridgecb28bs,UnitedKingdom OneLibertyPlaza,20thFloor,NewYork,ny10006,USA 477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,vic3207,Australia 314–321,3rdFloor,Plot3,SplendorForum,JasolaDistrictCentre, NewDelhi–110025,India 79AnsonRoad,#06–04/06,Singapore079906 CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge. ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence. www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107154384 doi:10.1017/9781316650554 ©CambridgeUniversityPress2021 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2021 AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. isbn978-1-107-15438-4Hardback isbn978-1-316-60797-8Paperback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain, accurateorappropriate. fi This book is dedicated to my wife Karin and my ve – – children Seth, Sara, Samuel, Brittany, and Melody all of whom have made and will continue to make my world, ’ and I hope, everyones world, a much better place. Contents ListofTables pageviii Preface ix 1 Introduction 1 2 WhatIsIntelligence?APanoplyofViews 27 3 IntelligenceastheBroadAbilitytoAdapttotheEnvironment 74 4 WhyGeneralIntelligenceMayBeUnhelpful, orDetrimental,inTimesofInstability,andforthatMatter, inOtherTimesasWell 127 5 HistoryoftheTheoryofAdaptiveIntelligence 149 6 MeasurementandTeachingofAdaptiveIntelligence 191 7 WhyDoPeoplePersistinSpecies-SuicidalBeliefs andPracticesandWhat’stoBeDone? 214 8 TheGreatAdaptive-IntelligenceTest 244 Index 263 vii Tables 2.1 VerbaldescriptionsofIQranges page40 2.2 PercentileequivalentsofsomeIQscores 43 3.1 Elementsoftasksrequiringadaptiveintelligence 85 5.1 Evolutionofthetheoryofadaptiveintelligence 150 6.1 Abbreviatedtestofadaptiveintelligence 193 6.2 Testofadaptiveintelligenceinthecontextofscientific 196 pursuits 6.3 Culturalintelligencetest 201 viii Preface I started studying intelligence when I was thirteen years old – in seventh grade.IwasinterestedinintelligenceandintelligencetestingbecauseIhad bombed the intelligence tests I was given as a child. My seventh-grade scienceprojectwasmychancetomakesenseofitall.Theprojectdidnot go altogether well. The head school system psychologist found out I was givingIQteststomyclassmatesandwarnedmenevertobringthebook– Measuring Intelligence – into school again.1 I didn’t. Instead, I have spent mycareerstudyingintelligenceasaresearcher. Thisbook,AdaptiveIntelligence,istheculminationoftheworkIstartedin seventhgrade,tryingtounderstandwhatintelligenceisandhowitmanifests itselfintheworld.Theyearshavegoneby.Psychometricians’understanding of intelligence has evolved a bit since 1937 – the most accepted models are nowhierarchical onesthat build onthe work ofCharles Spearman,Alfred Binet,LewisTerman,DavidWechsler,RaymondCattell,JohnHorn,John Carroll,andotherpioneersinthefieldofintelligence.Myownunderstand- ingofintelligencehaschangedradicallyfromwhenIwasthirteenyearsold, and even from when I wrote my first book about intelligence in 1977.2 At that time, I thought the challenge of understanding intelligence was to understand its information-processing components. Today, I think the challengeistounderstandhowintelligencecanhelptosavetheworld–or destroy it. That is what this book is about – how we either use our intelligenceto adapt to theenvironment, ina broad sense, orelse use itto bring aboutour own destructionasaspecies.We – humanity individually andcollectively–haveachoice. Iamextremelygratefultomywifeandchildren,whohavesupportedme during the writing of this book and also during my many successes and failuresinmycareerandlife.IalsowishtothankmyeditorsatCambridge, David Repetto and Stephen Acerra, for their patience in waiting for this bookmanuscripttobefinished.IfurtheramgratefultoEmilyWattonfor her editing assistance and to Angela Valente, the copyeditor. I have had ix
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