The neuroscience of intelligence
Richard J. Haier (Author)
This book introduces new and provocative neuroscience research that advances our understanding of intelligence and the brain. Compelling evidence shows that genetics plays a more important role than environment as intelligence develops from childhood, and that intelligence test scores correspond strongly to specific features of the brain assessed with neuroimaging. In understandable language, Richard J. Haier explains cutting-edge techniques based on genetics, DNA, and imaging of brain connectivity and function. He dispels common misconceptions, such as the belief that IQ tests are biased or meaningless, and debunks simple interventions alleged to increase intelligence. Readers will learn about the real possibility of dramatically enhancing intelligence based on neuroscience findings and the positive implications this could have for education and social policy. The text also explores potential controversies surrounding neuro-poverty, neuro-socioeconomic status, and the morality of enhancing intelligence for everyone. Online resources, including additional visuals, animations, questions and links, reinforce the material
Print Book, English, 2017
Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, 2017
xv, 251 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm.
9781107089778, 9781107461437, 1107089778, 110746143X
951742581
What we know about intelligence from the weight of studies : What is intelligence? Do you know it when you see it? ; Defining intelligence for empirical research ; The structure of mental abilities and the g-Factor ; Alternative models ; Focus on the g-Factor ; Measuring intelligence and IQ ; Some other intelligence tests ; Myth : intelligence tests are biased or meaningless ; The key problem for "measuring" intelligence ; Four kinds of predictive validity for intelligence tests ; Why do myths about intelligence definitions and measurement persist?
Nature more than nurture: the impact of genetics on intelligence : The evolving view of genetics ; Early failures to boost IQ ; "Fraud" fails to stop genetic progress ; Quantitative genetic findings also support a role for environmental factors ; Molecular genetics and the hunt for intelligence genes ; Seven recent noteworthy studies of molecular genetic progress
Peeking inside the living brain: neuroimaging is a game-changer for intelligence research : The first PET studies ; Brain efficiency ; Not all brains work in the same way ; What the early PET studies revealed and what they did not ; The first MRI studies ; Basic structural MRI findings ; Improved MRI analysis yield consistent and inconsistent results ; Imaging white matter tracts with two methods ; Functional MRI ((fMRI) ; The Parieto-frontal Integration Theory (PFIT) ; Einstein's brain. 50 shades of gray matter: a brain image of intelligence is worth a thousand words ; Brain networks and intelligence ; Functional brain efficiency: is seeing believing? ; Predicting IQ from brain images ; Are "intelligence" and "reasoning" synonyms? ; Common genes for brain structure and intelligence ; Brain imaging and molecular genetics
The holy grail: can neuroscience boost intelligence? : Case 1. Mozart and the brain ; Case 2. You must remember this, and this, and this ... ; Case 3. Can computer games for children raise IQ? ; Where are the IQ pills? ; Magnetic fields, electric shocks, and cold lasers target brain processes ; The missing weight of evidence for enhancement
As neuroscience advances, what's next for intelligence research? : From psychometric testing to chronometric testing ; Cognitive neuroscience of memory and super-memory ; Bridging human and animal research with new tools neuron by neuron ; Bridging human and machine intelligence circuit by circuit ; Consciousness and creativity ; Neuro-poverty and neuro-social-economic status (SES): implications for public policy based on the neuroscience of intelligence ; Final thoughts