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General intelligence does not help us understand cognitive evolution.

David M Shuker1, Louise Barrett2, Thomas E Dickins3

  • 1School of Biology,University of St Andrews,St Andrews KY16 9TH,United Kingdomdms14@st-andrews.ac.ukhttps://insects.st-andrews.ac.uk/.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|January 19, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

General intelligence is a statistical concept, not a cognitive trait. Its variance patterns do not support claims about the nature or evolution of cognitive processes.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Evolutionary psychology
  • Psychometrics

Background:

  • The concept of general intelligence (g) is debated.
  • Distinguishing between statistical abstractions and cognitive traits is crucial for understanding intelligence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critique the conflation of domain-specificity in cognitive processes with statistical variance in behavioral measures.
  • To argue against inferring cognitive trait evolution from statistical intelligence constructs.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of the relationship between statistical measures and cognitive processes.
  • Critique of inferential leaps made in evolutionary psychology regarding general intelligence.

Main Results:

  • General intelligence is identified as a statistical abstraction, not an inherent cognitive trait.
  • The variance in behavioral measures does not directly reflect the domain-specificity of cognitive processes.

Conclusions:

  • Inferences about the nature or evolution of cognitive traits cannot be reliably drawn from the statistical construct of general intelligence.
  • Clarifying the distinction between statistical abstractions and cognitive traits is essential for accurate scientific understanding.