Research on the determinants of intelligence and factors that relate to variability in intellect are discussed. It is argued that studies in this area usually focus on individual determinants and rarely reflect the true nature of the processes through which variability in determinants relates to variability in intellectual development. (SLD)

J.H. Kranzler and A.R. Jensen report on a reanalysis of previous data that is again inconsistent with the hypothesis that psychometric "g" is unitary. J.B. Carroll reiterates objections to the evidence that Kranzler and Jensen offer in support of a composite "g." (SLD)

Describes why birth order interests both parents and researchers, discussing what really causes apparent birth order effects on intelligence, examining problems with using cross-sectional intelligence data, and noting how to move beyond cross-sectional inferences. Explains the admixture hypothesis, which finds that family size is much more…

Critiques an article about social factors in Piaget's conceptualization of intellectual development, which ignored the integral role that language played in Piaget's writings on intellectual development. Questions the appropriateness of discarding these linguistic elements and notes that the article did not show how Piaget's early ideas on the…

In the light of the modern idea of a sovereign and self-transparent subject, the paper evaluates the philosophical and ethical relevance of Bildung. As a first step, (the early) Nietzsche's and Adorno's criticism of Bildung is explicated, a criticism based upon the thinkers' critical stance towards the modern epistemological relation of subject…

Decisions that involve consideration of inconsistent or contradictory information provide a context for understanding and supporting intellectual development.

Catholic schoolteachers face the pedagogical dilemma between remaining faithful to the doctrinal requirements of Catholic Church teaching while also respecting their professional responsibility to promote autonomous, critical thinking and consider the pastoral needs of their students. Although in practice many Catholic educators achieve a…

In January, W. H. Brady Scholar Charles Murray stepped back from current education debates about reauthorization of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act and education funding in the president's budget to ask more fundamental questions about the goals that should shape American education in the future. This "On the Issues" is adapted from…

This study compared the relationships of self-efficacy and reasoning ability to achievement in introductory college biology. Based on the hypothesis that developing formal and postformal reasoning ability is a primary factor influencing self-efficacy, a significant positive correlation was predicted between reasoning ability and degree of…

Written comments on student evaluations often seem idiosyncratic, lacking the power of numerical statistical data. These statements, however, may sometimes reveal intellectual challenges common to novice learners in our disciplines. Instructors can use these insights as part of a scholarly approach to teaching, making meaningful adjustments to…

This paper contends that if the teaching of theory is to be liberatory rather than alienating, the process of theorizing and theory writing needs to be demystifed. To do this, the paper first describes a personal experience that set the course of an educator's life--her learning of English (taught to her by her father) in China. The paper then…

This study aimed to investigate the relation between a test of formal operations reasoning and strength at Kohlberg's various types of moral development, using correlational techniques. (Author/RK)

The Structure of Intellect theory advanced in this paper conceptualizes intellectual abilities in a three-dimensional model where every ability is described in terms of the type of operation used, the content involved, and the intellectual product which is a result of interaction between operation and content. (Author/PG)

The Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test (SON) was administered to 251 deaf children (6-15 years old) and 101 hearing children (10-12 years old) in Israel. The SON was judged appropriate for measuring cognitive functioning in the deaf because it requires no verbal instructions or responses and includes a measure of abstract thinking ability.…