A Very Short Introduction
Ian J. Deary
Ian J. Deary takes readers with no knowledge about the science of human intelligence to a stage where they can makes informed judgements about some of the key questions about human mental activities. He discusses different types of intelligence, and what we know about how genes and the environment combine to cause these differences; he addresses their biological basis, and whether intelligence declines or increases as we grow older. He charts the discoveries that psychologists have made about how and why we vary in important aspects of our thinking powers.
‘There has been no short, up to date and accurate book on the science of intelligence for many years now. This is that missing book. Deary's informal, story-telling style will engage readers, but it does not in any way compromise the scientific seriousness of the book … excellent.’
Linda Gottfredson, University of Delaware
‘Ian Deary is a world-class leader in research on intelligence and he has written a world-class introduction to the filed … This is a marvellous introduction to an exciting area of research.’
Robert Plomin, University of London
