Argues that Herrnstein and Murray's "The Bell Curve" (1994) merely restates the notion that intelligence can be reduced to a single ordinal measure, i.e., the primary factor for determining group or individual social-class status. Evidence from the biological sciences and quantitative genetics is presented that reveals that social…

In "The Bell Curve," Herrnstein and Murray contend that intelligence has become increasingly important in social stratification, as society places a growing premium on cognitive skills. In contrast, analysis of interstate variation in the link between IQ and income shows that the link is stronger in states that use IQ-like examinations…

Asks whether music makes people smarter stating that music education makes people smarter in music. Reviews well-known studies on the "Mozart Effect," keyboard training, and music and academic achievement. Addresses where the studies are misinterpreted/overstated and identifies alternative points that teachers can emphasize. (CMK)

A study involving 35 children (age 9) with high-functioning autism, 31 children with developmental language disorder, 40 children with low-functioning autism, and 17 children with low IQ, found IQ was predictive of adaptive behavior in both low-functioning groups, but language and verbal memory predicted adaptive behavior in higher functioning…

The relationship between intelligence and personality has been of scientific interest for over 100 years. However, most contemporary estimates of these relationships are limited because they do not separate the variance due to general and narrow cognitive abilities. This study demonstrates that this methodological oversight can distort estimates…

Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the relation of low birthweight, an indicator of adverse perinatal events, and social disadvantage to IQ changes during the period of school attendance. Data are from a longitudinal study of low birthweight and normal birthweight children in two disparate communities, an inner-city and near-by…

Previous challenges to the usefulness of traditional IQ measures in capturing the full range and magnitude of cognitive abilities have particular relevance for the assessment of persons with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). How the construct of intelligence is operationalized can be critical for these persons since IQ scores typically…

The general ("g") factor is the most general and relevant cognitive ability. This factor is considered to be one of the most important predictors of academic achievement and of many other socially relevant behavioral outcomes. In the last decades, many researchers have investigated the possible changes in the relevance of the…

There is evidence that IQ tends to be higher in those who were heavier at birth or who grew taller in childhood and adolescence. Although these findings imply that growth in both foetal and postnatal life influences cognitive performance, little is known about the relative importance of brain growth during different periods of development. We…

Research on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) suggests that practicing clinical psychologists and graduate students make item-level scoring errors that affect IQ, index, and subtest scores. Studies have been limited in that Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) and examiner administration,…

Correlations and mean score differences between IQs derived from the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT; Bracken & McCallum, 1998) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991) were compared. Participants were Limited English Proficient (LEP) Mexican-American elementary school students, who…

Bias in testing has been of interest to psychologists and other test users since the origin of testing. New or revised tests often are subject to analyses that help examine the degree of bias in reference to group membership based on gender, language use, and race/ethnicity. The pervasive use of intelligence test data when making critical and, at…

The "Multiple Intelligences, Curriculum and Assessment Project" at University College Cork was a collaborative project carried out between 1995 and 1999. The key research question focused on whether Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences could be applied to, and enhance, aspects of curriculum and assessment at primary and…

The best way to learn is by having a good teacher and the best language learning takes place when the learner is immersed in an environment where the language is natively spoken. 3D multi-user virtual worlds have been claimed to be useful for learning, and the field of exploiting them for education is becoming more and more active thanks to the…

The two articles in this newsletter issue focus on and discuss the multiple intelligences (MI) theory and its application in schools. Developed by Howard Gardner at Harvard University, the theory argues that individuals differ in their abilities, learning styles, and interests, and that these differences need to be acknowledged and nurtured in…