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No feature of the mind is as important, controversial, and mysterious as intelligence. And thanks to decades of research, we are closer than ever before to understanding it. Plunge into a myriad of thought-provoking issues, shedding light on what goes on inside the mind at work.

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Episodes

1. What Is Intelligence?

30m

Probe the nature of intelligence by looking first at the phenomenon of savants - individuals who excel at a narrow mental skill. Does this qualify as intelligence? Examine how intelligence is defined, and explore its connection to IQ and a variable called g, which is the conjectured general factor of intelligence.

2. Assessing Intelligence

30m

What does an IQ test measure? Study the history of intelligence tests, including the Stanford-Binet test and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Consider typical questions used to measure intelligence, and learn how they are designed to avoid bias. Also look at the SAT for college admission.

3. General Intelligence in Everyday Life

30m

Survey the importance of intelligence in 10 areas of everyday life, from school success to managing money to making medical decisions. What does the g factor predict about the ability to cope in these situations? Finally, consider the implications of such predictions for public policy.

4. To g or Not to g - Is That the Question?

30m

Analyze a model of intelligence that incorporates two special factors: fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. Then explore alternatives to the g concept, including Robert Sternberg's theory of practical intelligence and Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. What is the evidence for these ideas?

5. Intelligence and Genius over the Life Span

30m

Follow the careers of geniuses throughout their lives in three classic studies that began in California in the 1920s, Scotland in the 1930s, and Baltimore in the 1970s. Each study started when the test subjects were children, testing their mental abilities and successes at various intervals.

6. Early Childhood Experience and Intelligence

30m

Do early childhood experiences affect intelligence? Look at the value of compensatory education, which was evaluated in what may be the most controversial article in the history of psychology. Then examine the impact of environmental elements, such as culture, birth order, and family size.

7. Genes and Intelligence

30m

Are there intelligence genes? Delve into the connection between genes and intellectual capacity, focusing on the search for relevant genes and environmental triggers that may govern gene expression. Also examine the history of intelligence research on identical twins, particularly those reared apart.

8. Can We See Intelligence in the Brain?

30m

Brain imaging technology may be the most important development in intelligence research in the last 40 years. Explore positron emission tomography, or PET, which highlights areas of the brain that are working hardest. Learn that these data correlate in an unexpected way with intelligence.

9. What Brain Imaging Reveals about Intelligence

30m

Turn to magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, a technique that can measure brain structure and changing brain activity. Among other findings, MRI scans suggest that men and women may have different brain areas related to the g factor. Also investigate a new brain imaging technology called magneto-encephalogram, or MEG.

10. Intelligence and the Brains of Children

30m

Examine research about intelligence and the brains of children and adolescents. Focus on three questions: What aspects of brain development are related to intelligence? Are these developmental factors essentially the same for everyone? Is there a critical period when these factors can be influenced?

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Richard J. HaierWriter

Richard J. HaierActor

Intelligent Brain

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