What Is Intelligence?: Beyond the Flynn Effect

230 Pages·2007·1.16 MB·English

by  James R. Flynn

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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