Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction

164 Pages·2001·3.82 MB·English

by  Ian J. Deary

Ian J. Deary
INTELLIGENCE
A Very Short Introduction
OXFORD
Is there such a thing as general intelligence?
What happens to intelligence in old age?
Are intelligence tests useful? Why have IQ
scores risen over the last 50 years?
Ian J. Deary takes readers with no
knowledge about the science of human
intelligence to a stage where they can make
informed judgements about some of the key
questions about human mental abilities.
He discusses different types of intelligence,
and what we know about how genes and
the environment combine to cause these
differences; he addresses their biological
basis, and whether intelligence declines or
increases as we grow older. He charts the
discoveries that psychologists have made
about how and why we vary in important
aspects of our thinking powers.
'a thoroughly good idea. Snappy, small-
format. . . stylish design . . . perfect to
pop into your pocket for spare moments'
The Times
Lisa Jardine,
‘A very good idea, these Very Short
Introductions, a new concept from OUP’
Guardian
Nicholas Lezard,
Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction
‘I can, and shall, recommend this engaging book to anyone,
student or layperson ... a reasoned and reasonable view of this
interesting and important topic.’
Professor N. J. Mackintosh, Cambridge University
‘This book, written by one of the world's leading researchers on
intelligence, provides an ideal introduction to a controversial topic.
Deary ... tells us in an entertaining and clear way what was done, what
was found, and what it does and does not mean.... If you want to know
how we know what we know about intelligence read this book.’
Nat Brody, Wesleyan University
‘Professor Deary’s short introductory book about human intelligence is
like no other account available. He addresses the big issues that the
experts continue to debate ... all in an easy-to-digest, balanced style
that meets his aim to put the reader in touch with the scientific
research into this challenging field. This book is first class.’
Ted Nettelbeck, Adelaide University
‘succinct and highly readable ... an excellent overview of what is and is
not known about human intelligence ... A gem of a book that will be of
interest to a wide audience.’
Tony Vernon, University of Western Ontario
VERY SHORT INTRODUCTIONS are for anyone wanting a stimulating
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Very Short Introductions available now:
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY
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ART HISTORY Dana Arnold DESCARTES Tom Sorell
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THE H ISTORY OF THE EARTH Martin Redfern
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CHOICE THEORY EVOLUTION
Michael Allingham Brian and Deborah Charlesworth
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Manfred Steger POLITICS Kenneth Minogue
HEGEL Peter Singer POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
HEIDEGGER Michael Inwood David Miller
HINDUISM Kim Knott POSTCOLONIALISM
HISTORY John H. Arnold Robert Young
HOBBES Richard Tuck POSTMODERNISM
HUME A. J. Ayer Christopher Butler
IDEOLOGY Michael Freeden POSTSTRUCTURALISM
INDIAN PHILOSOPHY Catherine Belsey
Sue Hamilton PREHISTORY Chris Gosden
INTELLIGENCE Ian J. Deary PRESOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY
ISLAM Malise Ruthven Catherine Osborne
JU DAISM Norman Solomon PSYCHOLOGY Gillian Butler and
JUNG Anthony Stevens Freda McManus
KANT Roger Scruton QUANTUM THEORY
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THE KORAN Michael Cook ROMAN BRITAIN PeterSalway
LINGUISTICS Peter Matthews ROUSSEAU Robert Wokler
LITERARY THEORY RUSSELL A. C. Grayling
Jonathan Culler RUSSIAN LITERATURE
LOCKE John Dunn Catriona Kelly
LOGIC Graham Priest THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
MACHIAVELLI Quentin Skinner S. A. Smith
MARX Peter Singer SCHIZOPHRENIA
MATHEMATICS Timothy Gowers Chris Frith and Eve Johnstone
MEDIEVAL BRITAIN SCHOPENHAUER
John Gillingham and Christopher Janaway
Ralph A. Griffiths SHAKESPEARE Germaine Greer
MODERN IRELAND SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
Senia Paseta ANTHROPOLOGY
MOLECULES Philip Ball John Monaghan and Peter Just
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NINETEENTH-CENTURY SPINOZA Roger Scruton
BRITAIN Christopher Harvie and STUART BRITAIN John Morrill
H. C. G. Matthew TERRORISM Charles Townshend
NORTHERN IRELAND THEOLOGY David F. Ford
Marc Mulholland THE TUDORS John Guy
PAUL E. P. Sanders TWENTIETH-CENTURY
PHILOSOPHY Edward Craig BRITAIN Kenneth 0. Morgan
PHILOSOPHYOF SCIENCE WITTGENSTEIN A. C. Grayling
Samir Okasha WORLD MUSIC Philip Bohlman
Available soon:
AFRICAN HISTORY HIEROGLYPHS
John Parker and Richard Rathbone Penelope Wilson
ANCIENT EGYPT Ian Shaw HIROSHIMA B. R. Tomlinson
THE BRAIN Michael O’Shea HUMAN EVOLUTION
BUDDHIST ETHICS Bernard Wood
Damien Keown INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
CHAOS Leonard Smith Paul Wilkinson
CHRISTIANITY Linda Woodhead JAZZ Brian Morton
CITIZENSHIP Richard Bellamy MANDELA Tom Lodge
CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE MEDICAL ETHICS
Robert Tavernor Tony Hope
CLONINC. Arlene Judith Klotzko THE MIND Martin Davies
CONTEMPORARY ART MYTH Robert Segal
Julian Stallabrass NATIONALISM Steven Grosby
THE CRUSADES PERCEPTION Richard Gregory
Christopher Tyerman PH ILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
DERRIDA Simon Glendinning Jack Copeland and Diane Proudfoot
DESICN JohnHeskett PHOTOGRAPHY
DIN O SAU R S David Norman Steve Edwards
DREAMING J. Allan Hobson THE RAJ Denis Judd
ECONOMICS Partha Dasgupta THE RENAISSANCE
THE ENDOFTHE WORLD Jerry Brotton
Bill McGuire RENAISSANCE ART
EXISTENTIALISM Thomas Flynn Geraldine Johnson
THE FIRST WORLD WAR SARTRE Christina Howells
Michael Howard THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
FREEWILL Thomas Pink Helen Graham
FUNDAMENTALISM TRAGEDY Adrian Poole
Malise Ruthven THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
HABERMAS Gordon Finlayson Martin Conway
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Ian J. Deary
NTELLIGENCE
A Very Short Introduction
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp
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Published in the United States
by Oxford University Press Inc., New York
© Ian J. Deary 2001
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First published as an Oxford University Press paperback 2001
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Data available
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Data available
ISBN 978-0-19-289321-5
17 19 20 18 16
Typeset by RefineCatch Ltd, Bungay, Suffolk
Printed in Great Britain by
Ashford Colour Press Ltd, Gosport, Hampshire
Contents
List of illustrations ix
Preface and acknowledgements xi
A word about correlation xiv
To see 'g' or not to see ‘g’ ... 1
How many types of intelligence are there?
2 Ageing and intelligence: senility or sagacity? 19
What happens to mental abilities as we grow older?
3 Brainy? 43
Why are some people cleverer than others?
4 ‘They f-------you up, your mum and dad’ (Larkin) 67
Are intelligence differences a result of genes or environments or both?
5 The (b)right man for the job 91
Does intelligence matter?
6
The lands of the rising IQ 102
Is intelligence increasing generation after generation?
Eleven Twelve (not-so-)angry men (and women) n4
Psychologists actually agree about human intelligence differences
Further reading 123
Index 129