Intelligence has been among the most controversial constructs in all of the social sciences, from its origin as a concept a thousand years ago by such thinkers as Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato to the present. The answer to the question "What is intelligence?" has tremendous implications for how we view the relationships between mind, education, and society. Is intelligence one general trait or a host of multifaceted abilities? Are racial and socioeconomic differences in intelligence evidence of nature or nurture? Are all intelligent people also creative? Are we getting smarter as a species? Do our beliefs about our own intelligence matter?

Table of Contents

• About the Authors
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1 Why Intelligence Rocks
• Chapter 2 Defining Intelligence
• Chapter 3 Origins of the Study of Intelligence: The Case of Galton
• Chapter 4 The Best of Intentions: What Goddard Teaches Us About the Development of Intelligence (and the Rough-and-Tumble World of Science)
• Chapter 5 Intelligence or Intelligences?
• Chapter 6 Nature or Nurture? What the Flynn Effect Tells Us About Intelligence
• A Brief Interlude on Race
• Chapter 7 Creativity and Giftedness
• Chapter 8 Constructs and Contexts: Where Is the Study of Intelligence Heading?
• Recommended Resources
• References