Nisbett Intelligence and How to Get It Reviews
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Intelligence and How to Get It: Why Schools and Cultures Count (Hardcover)
by Richard E. Nisbett (Author)
Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 282 pages
* Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.; 1 edition (February 2, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0393065057
* ISBN-13: 978-0393065053
* Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
* Rating: 
Textbook Description
A bold refutation of the belief that genes determine intelligence. Who are smarter, Asians or Westerners? Are there genetic explanations for racial differences in test scores?
What makes some nationalities excel in engineering and others in music? Will math and science remain a largely male preserve. From the damning research of The Bell Curve to the more recent controversy surrounding geneticist James Watson’s statements, one factor has been consistently left out of the equation: culture. In the tradition of The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould, world-class social psychologist Richard E. Nisbett takes on the idea of intelligence as something that is biologically determined and impervious to culture–with vast implications for the role of education as it relates to social and economic development. Intelligence and How to Get It asserts that intellect is not primarily genetic but is principally determined by societal influences. Nisbett’s commanding argument, superb marshaling of evidence, and fearless discussions of the controversial carve out new and exciting terrain in this hotly debated field.
Intelligence and How to Get It Review
Nisbett’s book addresses two audiences with this book, in a manner that is generally fair-minded and hence persausive.
First, he addresses an audience interested in how culture affects “intelligence”, versus genetics. He presents evidence for why culture and other environmental influences have larger effects on intelligence than genetic factors. This discussion touches on some very “hot button” issues, such as differences across ethnic groups in achievement.
Second, he addresses an audience interested in how schools can most effectively increase students’ “intelligence” or academic achievement. He reviews evidence on the effectiveness of various academic interventions, such as high-quality preschool and child care, academic programs such as Reading Recovery, whole school reforms such as the KIPP program, and class size reduction. Particularly noteworthy and unusual are his discussions of some educational interventions promoted by social psychologists, such as efforts to persuade students that effort can significantly increase intellectual achievement.
The tone is consistently even-handed. Nisbett frequently discusses arguments and evidence against his positions. With respect to Nisbett’s discussion of the influence of culture on intelligence, I do not know the scientific literature sufficiently to judge the accuracy of his summary. However, based on my knowledge of the research on early childhood education and education, I believe Nisbett’s summary of this research is generally accurate. He provides the reader with a good guide to some interesting findings in the education literature.
Nisbett believes that interventions of the right kind can make people smarter, and schools can be made much better than they are now. Further, it is possible to reduce the IQ and achievement gap between the white population and other groups. General intelligence is a combination of reasoning skills and knowledge. Motivation is another important contributor. Environmentalists today estimate heritability of IQ at 50% or less, while those emphasizing heredity estimate it at 75-85%. The estimates largely begin with studies of identical and fraternal twins raised either together or apart. The impact of birth order causes an underestimate of heredity, think some. Psychologist Bronfenbrenner showed that when twins reared apart are brought up in highly similar environments, correlations between IQ scores range from .83 to .91, vs. the more typical .74 – thus giving an inflated estimate of heritability. Others (eg. Devlin) contend that twins sharing the same uterine environment adds 20% inappropriately, though their logic is unclear to me. Still others contend that eg. children with slightly elevated curiosity seek out greater opportunities, demonstrating that heritability is overstated. (My opinion, however, is that they are stretching common sense and their conclusion is inappropriate.) Research has found that most Jews (except those from North African) have higher IQs, as well as Asian children. Nisbett again cites other research to minimize these findings. Clearly there are unarguable physical differences between races – eg. African-Americans generally perform much better than Caucasians in many sports. The human brain contains 60+ chemicals – each a potential source of difference in IQ, along with possible physical differences (eg. blood vessel size, oxygen content, various component proportions). Thus, it is illogical to contend ipso facto that all races have the same general intelligence. One suspects that Nisbett’s work is biased towards that conclusion. The good news is that Nisbett also suggests some strategies beneficial to all – eg. physical exercise during pregnancy (leads to bigger and healthier babies), challenging all children, and encouraging them to develop self-control (associated with greater learning). Nisbett also points out that paying for teachers to acquire additional degrees and certification is not effective in helping their pupils.
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