Review of Developing management ability.

Reviews the book "Developing management ability" by Earl G. Planty and J. Thomas Freeston (1954). This book is made up of six hundred questions that vary in scope with answers varying in length from a single sentence to several pages. According to the reviewer, to the person who is looking for answers to many of the questions that arise concerning management development without getting into the theoretical implications or research background, this book can be recommended highly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Piaget's theory of intelligence.

Reviews the book, Piaget's Theory of Intelligence by Charles J. Brainerd (1978). This book is much more than an introduction to Piaget's theory. It is also a comprehensive and long overdue critical evaluation of the theory, based on an extensive consideration of replication research. For each stage of cognitive development, as well as a concluding discussion of educational implications, Brainerd describes the theory and then reviews the relevant research bearing on the topics discussed. Important and complex aspects of the theory are discussed in terms of the predictions that should follow in controlled experiments, rather than merely presenting Piaget's ideas as revealed truth. Unfortunately, the text is purported to be an introduction to Piaget's theory for the undergraduate course in cognitive development, and in that capacity it would be less satisfactory than as a supplementary or even an advanced text. As an introductory text it may be too critical. Brainerd fares no worse than other recent authors who have attempted to introduce Piaget's ideas. The book's strength, as well as its uniqueness, clearly lies in its evaluative orientation. It is highly recommended for those readers already familiar with the theory, preferably from primary sources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Upheavals of thought: The intelligence of emotions.

Reviews the book, Upheavals of thought: The intelligence of emotions by Martha C. Nussbaum (2001). Drawing from an astounding array of sources, Nussbaum argues against the common understanding of emotions as irrational and animalistic impulses disconnected from our thoughts and reason. Rather, she argues that emotions are highly discriminating responses to what is of value and importance that are, therefore, suffused with intelligence and discernment. Nussbaum explores the structure of a wide range of emotions, in particular, compassion and love, in order to show that there can be no adequate ethical theory without an adequate theory of emotional experience and meaning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The intelligence test performance of Maori children: A cross cultural study.

Maori children and New Zealand children were given the SRA form of Thurstone's Test of Primary Mental Abilities and a special nonverbal test battery. The Maori groups did worse than the control on the nonverbal test than on the PMA. This findings raises some doubt on the effectiveness of nonverbal tests for the evaluation of mental ability of culturally handicapped groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Thematic test analysis.

Reviews the book, Thematic test analysis edited by Edwin S. Shneidman (see record 1952-03422-000). Everyone does something different with the Thematic Apperception Test. In this book, interpretations of the same person's TAT and MAPS tests are gathered, under blind conditions, from fifteen psychologists or teams of psychologists. Many ways of using TAT material are exemplified: the editor distinguishes normative, intuitive, hero-oriented, interpersonal, and perceptual approaches. Both during his analysis of the data and in a supplementary chapter, each psychologist introspects about what he is doing, at times offering interesting vignettes of the "feel" of the process of clinical inference. This is especially valuable, since most major contributors to TAT methods are represented, though in one notable instance we do not hear from the master but only from his eminent pupils. Introduction and syntheses by the editor hold the book together, though so much discussion from so many views is, in its nature, disjunctive. The editorial conclusions offered are well taken, if understandably tactful. One can find no ground for criticizing an editor who began his book with such an interesting plan and carried out his plan with so much care for every detail. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Book Review: g, Jensen, and the Science of Mental Ability.

Reviews the book "The scientific study of general intelligence: Tribute to Arthur R. Jensen" edited by H. Nyborg (2003). The book's first section is comprised of only one chapter, authored by the late John B. Carroll. In it, he re-analyzes Woodcock-Johnson-R Cognitive and Achievement data sets, and defends the psychometric argument for g--namely that it pervades almost all tests that measure cognitive ability and is the main cause for these tests' positive correlations with each other. The next section, entitled the "Biology of g," concentrates on the neurological and genetic correlates of g, but also houses two chapters on mental chronometry. Two chapters deal with the once controversial topic of brain size and g, a topic Jensen has meticulously researched and authored. The third section of this book deals with the most controversial aspect of Jensen's work, that of group differences. The book's next section concentrates on how g is a part of everyday life. The penultimate section deals with various reservations about g. The last two chapters on g are thoughts on why people ignore the concept of g. The reviewer notes that most of the chapters are well-written, supported with data, easy to follow, and make significant contributions to the literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of What intelligence tests miss: The psychology of rational thought.

Reviews the book, What intelligence tests miss: The psychology of rational thought by Keith E. Stanovich (see record 2008-06992-000). Speed of processing seems to reign in the world of the mind. Although a person’s speed of processing may in part dictate who amongst us performs well on intelligence tests, this speed may not necessarily guarantee good decisions, personal contentment, and the meeting of goals in real life. Stanovich’s book is a scholarly, yet captivating, survey of research on rational thought and action, and what it means to be a truly industrious thinker. The book is divided into 13 chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 attempt to persuade the reader that measured intelligence is different from rationality—measured intelligence is essentially about raw speed of processing while rationality is about sophisticated problem solving. Chapter 3 elucidates the theoretical models, including the reflective, algorithmic, and autonomous minds, which help account for the distinction between measured intelligence and rationality. Chapters 4 and 5 flesh out the differences between intelligence and rationality. Chapters 6 through 9 expose the strategies the cognitive miser (a metaphor to guide and describe key ideas about human thinking) employs to cut corners in thinking. Chapters 10 and 11 focus on both the positive thinking strategies that should be taught in school and the contaminated forms of thinking that impede us from weighing and sifting through the information we encounter in the world and then evaluating it effectively. Chapters 12 and 13 provide a useful review of the forms of thinking that lead to irrational beliefs and actions, and conclude with the social benefits of better thinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Temporal information processing and pitch discrimination as predictors of general intelligence.

In the present study, the relationship between performance on temporal and pitch discrimination and psychometric intelligence was investigated in a sample of 164 participants by means of an experimental dissociation paradigm. Performance on both temporal and pitch discrimination was substantially related to psychometric intelligence (r = .43 and r =.39). Regression analysis and structural equation modeling suggested that both psychophysical domains can be considered as valid predictors of psychometric intelligence. Both predictor variables contributed substantial portions of both shared and unique variance to the prediction of individual differences in psychometric intelligence. Thus, the present study yielded further evidence for a functional relationship between psychometric intelligence and temporal as well as pitch discrimination acuity. Eventually, findings are consistent with the notion that temporal discrimination - in addition to general aspects of sensory discrimination shared with pitch discrimination - reflects specific intelligence-related aspects of neural information processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between EEG and test intelligence: A critical review.

Literature on the relationship of EEG to test intelligence scores is reviewed. Evidence for the relationship between these 2 variables seems strongest for samples of children, institutionalized geriatric patients, mental deficients, and brain-injured persons; and weakest for samples of normal adults. EEG indices seem to be more strongly related to MA than to IQ. Criticisms of the previous research are directed at insufficient attention to the measurement of intelligence, failure to control for sex, too restricted placements of leads, too restricted an employment of EEG indices, and the assessment of EEG performance under inappropriate conditions. (2 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social competence.

Reviews the book, Social Competence by Jeri Dawn Wine and Marti Diane Smye (1981). Many of the contributions to this book were solicited from the participants at a conference entitled "The Identification and Enhancement of Social Competence" held in Toronto in 1978. The editors' attempt to "assemble a broadly representative sample of the most influential work" in the area of social competence is clearly evident given the inclusion of chapters by such notables as Donald Meichenbaum, Richard Lazarus and Michael Argyle, to name a few. Part I of the book presents broad theoretical frameworks for viewing the construct of social competence. Part II deals with social competence in childhood, in particular, critiques of sociometric and behavioural assessments and problem-solving techniques using mothers and teachers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Scientist-practitioner perspectives on test interpretation.

Reviews the book, Scientist-practitioner perspectives on test interpretation edited by James W. Lichtenberg and Rodney K. Goodyear (see record 1998-06400-000). As Lichtenberg and Goodyear clearly state, the purpose of this book was not to ingrain a scientific perspective towards the entire psychotherapy process, but rather to challenge readers to adopt a scientific attitude when critiquing the utility a particular tests has for a client, as well as appropriately interpreting the results. This book is suitable as a supplement to texts in a graduate psychotherapy course. It reminds the reader of the most important considerations when interpreting and sharing test results with clients. It shapes a novice's perspective by offering practical suggestions for the process of test interpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding the nature of the general factor of intelligence: The role of individual differences in neural plasticity as an explanatory mechanism.

The nature of the general factor of intelligence, or g, is examined. This article begins by observing that the finding of a general factor of intelligence appears to be inconsistent with current findings in neuroscience and cognitive science, where specific connections are argued to be critical for different intellectual abilities and the brain is argued to develop these connections in response to environmental stimuli. However, it is then observed that if people differed in neural plasticity, or the ability to adapt their connections to the environment, then those highly developed in one intellectual ability would be highly developed in other intellectual abilities as well. Simulations are then used to confirm that such a pattern would be obtained. Such a model is also shown to account for many other findings in the field of intelligence that are currently unexplained. A critical period for intellectual development is then emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The essential Sternberg: Essays on intelligence, psychology, and education.

Reviews the book, The essential Sternberg: Essays on intelligence, psychology, and education edited by James C. Kaufman and Elena L. Grigorenko (see record 2009-00687-000). For years, Robert Sternberg has produced renowned, groundbreaking work, and now some of it is captured in one volume: The Essential Sternberg. The book gathers in one place Sternberg’s major publications. From a repertoire of more than 1,000 journal articles, book chapters, and books, the editors have chosen 20 seminal works, spanning 30 years from 1977 to 2006. Although not organized chronologically, the ordering of the chapters reflects the progression of Sternberg’s work. In reading the book, one gains a sense of how a theory (and a career) of one of psychology’s major thinkers has evolved. The book presents five arcs of Sternberg’s research and theory on intelligence and education. No book, of course, can cover all the areas of a scholar’s research, so readers wanting to learn more about, for example, Sternberg’s work on love will need to look elsewhere. However, Sternberg’s central ideas and work are certainly on display in this book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between EEG and test intelligence: A commentary.

In a recent review Vogel and Broverman concluded that, contrary to previously expressed opinions, there do appear to be relationships between EEG phenomena and IQ—at least among children, the retarded, and institutionalized geriatric and brain-damaged patients. The evidence for such relationships is reexamined. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) The evidence concerning relationships between normal brain-wave phenomena and IQ in children and in the mentally retarded is contradictory and inconclusive. (2) The weight of available evidence suggests that there is no relationship in normal adults. (3) EEG abnormality and decreased intellectual capacity are both effects of organic brain disorders, and hence tend to be related to one another. (2 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Lowry test: A simple status-free measure of intellectual ability.

The validity of an intelligence test is discussed. "The Lowry Reasoning Test Combination has been found to be relatively free of social status bias and to measure intellectual function. It is easily administered and simply scored and does not depend upon a high level of verbal ability. Variance in concept difficulty is obtained by altering combinations of constructs while keeping the verbal material on a uniformly simple level. Whereever such a discriminative and effective selection device is needed the present writers would recommend that the Lowry test be tried." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional intelligence as an aspect of general intelligence: What would David Wechsler say?

R. D. Roberts, M. Zeidner, and G. Matthews (see record 2001-10055-001) have carefully examined the controversial issue of whether emotional intelligence (EI) should be classified as an intelligence and whether EI's constructs meet the same psychometric standards as general intelligence's constructs. This article casts their efforts into the framework of both historical and modern IQ-testing theory and research. It details David Wechsler's attempts to integrate EI into his tests and how his conception of a good clinician would be that of an emotionally intelligent clinician. Current theories and research on IQ also have a role in EI beyond what Roberts et al. described, including J. L. Horn's (1989) expanded model and A. R. Luria's (1966) neuropsychological research, and better criteria than the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery should be used in future EI studies. The authors look forward to more research being conducted on EI, particularly in future performance-based assessments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of deficits in intelligence test performance of preschool children to perinatal experience.

The intelligence test records of 193 children age 3 and of 119 age 5 were analyzed in relation to their perinatal experiences and intelligence level (average or superior). The children were classified as unstressed (Group 1), suspect (Group 2), and presumably stressed (Group 3). At both ages, significant differences were found at both intelligence levels between Groups 1 and 2 + 3 in ability to copy forms. At 3 yr. a significant difference between Groups 1 and 2 + 3 in verbal skill was found among the average Ss. It is concluded that isolated deficits on complex verbal and visuomotor tasks may be indicative of minimal birth injury and that such injury is more observable among average than superior children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Validity" of short-form intelligence tests.

A short-form intelligence test is commonly "validated" by demonstrating a high correlation between it and the full scale from which it is taken. It has been argued, however, that the correlation between the short form and the full scale is less meaningful than the extent to which they agree in classifying individuals as to intellectual level; the latter depends in part upon the width of the categories in the classification system. A table is provided which shows the theoretical agreement between the short form and the full scale as a function of their correlation and category width. Empirical values from two studies approximate fairly closely the values given in this table. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)