TELEVISION

Intelligent Brain

Series: Great Courses
4.9
(20)
Episodes
18
Rating
TVPG
Year
2013
Language
English

About

No feature of the mind is as important, controversial, and mysterious as intelligence. And thanks to decades of research, we are closer than ever before to understanding it. Plunge into a myriad of thought-provoking issues, shedding light on what goes on inside the mind at work.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 18

1. What Is Intelligence?

30m

Probe the nature of intelligence by looking first at the phenomenon of savants - individuals who excel at a narrow mental skill. Does this qualify as intelligence? Examine how intelligence is defined, and explore its connection to IQ and a variable called g, which is the conjectured general factor of intelligence.

2. Assessing Intelligence

30m

What does an IQ test measure? Study the history of intelligence tests, including the Stanford-Binet test and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Consider typical questions used to measure intelligence, and learn how they are designed to avoid bias. Also look at the SAT for college admission.

3. General Intelligence in Everyday Life

30m

Survey the importance of intelligence in 10 areas of everyday life, from school success to managing money to making medical decisions. What does the g factor predict about the ability to cope in these situations? Finally, consider the implications of such predictions for public policy.

4. To g or Not to g - Is That the Question?

30m

Analyze a model of intelligence that incorporates two special factors: fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. Then explore alternatives to the g concept, including Robert Sternberg's theory of practical intelligence and Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. What is the evidence for these ideas?

5. Intelligence and Genius over the Life Span

30m

Follow the careers of geniuses throughout their lives in three classic studies that began in California in the 1920s, Scotland in the 1930s, and Baltimore in the 1970s. Each study started when the test subjects were children, testing their mental abilities and successes at various intervals.

6. Early Childhood Experience and Intelligence

30m

Do early childhood experiences affect intelligence? Look at the value of compensatory education, which was evaluated in what may be the most controversial article in the history of psychology. Then examine the impact of environmental elements, such as culture, birth order, and family size.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

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