Table Of ContentUnderstandingIntelligence
Haveyoueverwonderedwhypsychologistsstillcan’tagreeonwhatintelli-
gence is? Or felt dismayed by debates around individual differences?
Criticising the pitfalls of IQ testing, this book explains the true nature of
intelligent systems, and their evolution from cells to brains to culture and
humanminds.
UnderstandingIntelligencedebunksmanyofthemythsandmisunderstand-
ings surrounding intelligence. It takes a new look at the nature of the
environmentandthedevelopmentof‘talent’andachievement.Thisbrings
freshandradicalimplicationsforpromotingintelligenceandcreativity,and
promptsreaderstoreconsidertheirownpossibilitiesandaspirations.
Providing a broad context to the subject, the author also unmasks the
ideological distortions of intelligence in racism and eugenics, and the
suppressedexpectationsacrosssocialclassesandgenders.
Thisbookisamust-readforanyonecuriousaboutourownintelligence.
KenRichardsonisaformerseniorlecturerattheOpenUniversity,UK,andan
independentresearcher,consultant,andauthor.Aftercompletingadoctorate
in brain biochemistry he became interested in cognitive systems, chiefly
developmental,andhowtheseareas,asintelligentsystems,areinter-related
throughevolution.
TheUnderstandingLifeseriesisforanyonewantinganengagingand
concisewayintoakeybiologicaltopic.Offeringamultidisciplinary
perspective,theseaccessibleguidesaddresscommonmisconceptions
andmisunderstandingsinathoughtfulwaytohelpstimulatedebateand
encourageamorein-depthunderstanding.Writtenbyleadingthinkersin
eachfield,thesebooksareforanyonewantinganexpertoverviewthat
willenableclearerthinkingoneachtopic.
SeriesEditor:KostasKampourakishttp://kampourakis.com
Publishedtitles
UnderstandingEvolution KostasKampourakis 9781108746083
UnderstandingCoronavirus RaulRabadan 9781108826716
UnderstandingDevelopment AlessandroMinelli 9781108799232
UnderstandingEvo-Devo WallaceArthur 9781108819466
UnderstandingGenes KostasKampourakis 9781108812825
UnderstandingDNAAncestry SheldonKrimsky 9781108816038
UnderstandingIntelligence KenRichardson 9781108940368
UnderstandingMetaphorsin AndrewS.Reynolds 9781108940498
theLifeSciences
Forthcoming
UnderstandingCreationism GlennBranch 9781108927505
UnderstandingSpecies JohnS.Wilkins 9781108987196
UnderstandingtheNature– EricTurkheimer 9781108958165
NurtureDebate
UnderstandingHowScience KevinMcCain 9781108995504
ExplainstheWorld
UnderstandingCancer RobinHesketh 9781009005999
UnderstandingForensicDNA SuzanneBelland 9781009044011
JohnButler
UnderstandingRace RobDeSalleand 9781009055581
IanTattersall
UnderstandingFertility GabKovacs 9781009054164
Understanding Intelligence
KEN RICHARDSON
FormerlyoftheOpenUniversity,UK
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
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ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781108837132
DOI:10.1017/9781108937757
©KenRichardson2022
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2022
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJBooksLimited,PadstowCornwall
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Richardson,Ken,author.
Title:Understandingintelligence/KenRichardson,FormerlyoftheOpenUniversity,UK.
Description:1Edition.|r,NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2021.|Series:
Understandinglife|Includesindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2021022821(print)|LCCN2021022822(ebook)|ISBN9781108837132
(hardback)|ISBN9781108940368(paperback)|ISBN9781108937757(ebook)
Subjects:LCSH:Eugenics.|Intellect.|Intelligencelevels.|BISAC:MEDICAL/Neuroscience
Classification:LCCHQ751.R532021(print)|LCCHQ751(ebook)|DDC363.9/2–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021022821
LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021022822
ISBN978-1-108-83713-2Hardback
ISBN978-1-108-94036-8Paperback
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URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
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‘Ken Richardson has written a masterful book about intelligence. In
contrasttowhatleadingbehaviouralgeneticistsandpsychometrically
orientedpsychologistsseeasthemoderatelyorhighlyheritabletraitof
general intelligence (IQ), Richardson explains why psychometric and
behaviouralgeneticargumentsfail,andhowintelligenceshouldbeseen
as a socially acquired characteristic. A longstanding expert on intelli-
gence,hewritesinamannerthatcanbeunderstoodbybothacademic
andgeneralreaders.Istronglyrecommendthisbookasanaccessible
andimportantcounterweighttomainstreamdescriptionsofintelligence
inthefieldsofpsychologyandbehaviouralgenetics,andinthemedia.’
JayJoseph,Psy.D.,psychologistandauthor,Oakland,California,USA
‘KenRichardson’sUnderstandingIntelligenceisatimelyandimportant
additiontoCambridgeUniversityPress’sgroundbreakingUnderstanding
Lifeseries.Richardsonprovidesa“naturalhistoryofintelligence”,andno
facetofthatcomplextopicgoesuntouched–adaptiveevolution,embry-
ology, endocrinology, circadian rhythms, neural networks, cooperative
hunting.Inourcurrentmoment,wherescholarsandpoliticiansalikeare
callingforgene-guidededucationandappealingtoinnatedifferencesas
thecauseofracialdisparities,Richardsondebunksmythaftermythabout
cognitiveability:thatthebrainisbestconceptualisedasamachine,that
IQtestsmeasureintelligence,thatdifferentracialgroupshavenaturally
differentintellectualaptitudes,thatthegenomeisaprogrammeforcogni-
tivedevelopment.Theesteemedpsychologist,inexchange,offersavision
ofintelligenceasadynamic,interactive,developing,adaptivesystem–a
systemthatallowseverypersontointellectuallyflourish,ifonlytheyare
giventheopportunity.’
JamesTabery,ProfessorofPhilosophy,UniversityofUtah,USA
‘Fordecades,KenRichardsonhasbeenaleadingvoicewithinthecritical
approachestointelligenceinpsychology.Hepatientlyanddeterminedly
interrogatedtheoftentakenforgrantedassumptions–andmyths–about
themeaningofintelligence,abouthowitcanbemeasuredandtested,
aboutitsheritabilityoritsapplicabilityasameasureofintellectualability
in the school or the workplace. Understanding Intelligence provides a
thoroughly researched and persuasively argued up-to-date overview of
thisimportantwork.Itissuretobecomeanindispensableresourcefor
bothacademicsandpractitioners,andindeedforanyoneinterestedinone
ofpsychology’smostcontroversial,andflawed,concepts.’
JovanByford,SeniorLecturerinPsychology,TheOpenUniversity,UK
UnderstandingIntelligence
Haveyoueverwonderedwhypsychologistsstillcan’tagreeonwhatintelli-
gence is? Or felt dismayed by debates around individual differences?
Criticising the pitfalls of IQ testing, this book explains the true nature of
intelligent systems, and their evolution from cells to brains to culture and
humanminds.
UnderstandingIntelligencedebunksmanyofthemythsandmisunderstand-
ings surrounding intelligence. It takes a new look at the nature of the
environmentandthedevelopmentof‘talent’andachievement.Thisbrings
freshandradicalimplicationsforpromotingintelligenceandcreativity,and
promptsreaderstoreconsidertheirownpossibilitiesandaspirations.
Providing a broad context to the subject, the author also unmasks the
ideological distortions of intelligence in racism and eugenics, and the
suppressedexpectationsacrosssocialclassesandgenders.
Thisbookisamust-readforanyonecuriousaboutourownintelligence.
KenRichardsonisaformerseniorlecturerattheOpenUniversity,UK,andan
independentresearcher,consultant,andauthor.Aftercompletingadoctorate
in brain biochemistry he became interested in cognitive systems, chiefly
developmental,andhowtheseareas,asintelligentsystems,areinter-related
throughevolution.
