Start here · Essential guide
Human Intelligence: A Study of Cognitive Abilities
How psychologists define and measure intelligence, which cognitive abilities they distinguish, and why IQ testing remains debated, with its uses and limits.
Mind and Self-Improvement
Human and animal intelligence and the puzzle of consciousness.
Start here · Essential guide
How psychologists define and measure intelligence, which cognitive abilities they distinguish, and why IQ testing remains debated, with its uses and limits.
A guided tour of the main regions of the human brain, from the cortex to the brainstem, and how they work together instead of as separate parts.
How researchers test problem solving, memory, tool use and communication in animals, and why comparing intelligence across very different species is tricky.
How brain function relates to everyday behavior, habits and decisions, including the reward system and attention, with honest notes on what science has not settled.
A tour of what consciousness is, why it is called the hard problem, and how leading scientific and philosophical theories try, and so far fail, to settle it.
What research does and does not show about exceptional ability, from deliberate practice and curiosity to common myths about genius and madness.
Alternatives to a single IQ number, including multiple intelligences, triarchic theory, creativity and practical skills, along with the critiques each model faces.
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