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Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction

4.5 out of 5 stars 23 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0192893215
ISBN-10: 0192893211
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 152 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press (June 7, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0192893211
  • ISBN-13: 978-0192893215
  • Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.4 x 4.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

By Dan E. Ross on February 4, 2002
Format: Paperback
This book is a great introduction to the subject of Intelligence and psychometrics! I just completed the book in two days and must say it was very insightful and straight to the point. It wasn't the easiest reading but far more straightforward than most psychology/sociology stuff I have come across. I knew very little about psychometrics before reading this book as I majored in accounting and got my MBA, with an emphasis in finance. Plus I have some engineering. I say this to put it into perspective as psychology, sociology, philosophy haven't been easy for me to comprehend in the past as they have been too verbose for me and boring, as it is out of my primary field of interest. But, I was very happy to read this book and learned a lot in a short matter of time. Additionally, if you want to learn more the author points to additional books/articles on each topic discussed. This book is great for the following reasons:
1) It is easy to read as it is written to the non psychiatrist.
2) It has a section explaining the only technical stuff used, which is statistics (used in studies outside of psychology too.)
3) It provides a synopsis of the top issues, studies, articles and conclusions written about intelligence.
In my opinion, the author of this book is very fair and reasonable as he consistently stated both sides of an argument if there was one to an issue. He did provide his insights only after stating what the majority of his fellow associates had concluded as well as if the debate was largely over or not within each issue.
So what was talked about in this tiny book of 125 pages?
1) Is there a general factor in intelligence?
2) Are there multiple types of intelligence, as Howard Gardner thinks?
3) Are people getting smarter?
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Format: Paperback
I picked up this little book after hearing endless bickering about the debate over human intelligence. Is there a general factor in intelligence? Are there multiple types of intelligence, as Howard Gardner thinks? How do race or age affect intelligence? What is the 'Flynn effect'? All these questions are covered in some detail--given the length of the book--in Deary's clear exposition.
Basically, Deary convinced me that there is a general factor that accounts for one's mental abilities (but this is not to say that a high g factor--as it's called--will assure you success and praise in life or that a low one excludes you from it!).
Deary's discussion of twin studies and his own work on how the physiognomy of the brain correlates with intelligence (there is a correlation--of medium strength between brain size and intelligence) were particularly interesting.
This is a great introduction to the subject!
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Format: Paperback
This book is an excellent introduction to psychometrics and IQ. It has a rare combination of being accessible to layman without insulting anyone's intelligence (no pun intended). Another advantage of this book, as well as Oxford's VSI series, is that it the book is slim (in size) and can be carried around and read in a few sittings. That does not mean, however, that the book lacks substance (as one might fear would be the case for short intro books on a difficult subject). Quite the contrary. I would dare say that reading the book would allow even a layman to have an intelligent conversation with an expert on psychometrics.
The book has an objective and friendly tone. The author makes his own opinions known but does present contrary opinions and does not offer his own opinions without evidence. Some people may disagree with some of the conclusions, but it is hard to argue with the fact that the author of this book is very fair and reasonable.
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Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
The first chapter of this little book is interesting. It glosses over Howard Gardner's theories of multiple intelligences as being outside of the scientific mainstream, though it does refer readers to Gardner's work. This is intriguing given that Gardner's work has been so influential on current American K-12 educational theory and practice. Deary begins by noting that intelligence tests indicate one extremely broad category of intelligence (general intelligence) that is then divided into four broad areas of ability: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, Processing Speed, and Working Memory. Each of these encompasses a smaller set of sub-abilities. For example, Perceptual Organization can be tested in terms of picture completion, block design, picture arrangement, and matrix reasoning. Deary also introduces another way of categorizing intelligence developed by John B. Carroll: broad visual perception, broad auditory perception, fluid intelligence, broad retrieval ability, crystalized intelligence, broad cognitive speediness, general memory and learning, and processing speed. But to know what any of these categories actually mean, you'll have to look elsewhere for descriptions of Carroll's work.

Chapter 2 boils down to one salient point based upon the most recent research (though as with everything in the intelligence testing field, there's no clear consensus): namely, as you get older, your mental processing speed slows down. This slowdown tends to cause a domino effect in your cognitive ability and reduce your general intelligence in areas related to how fast you think. Less time-dependent processes don't reflect this decline. And some people hold onto their mental acuity better than others.
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