The "nature versus nurture" controversy dates back to at least
the nineteenth century. How much of a role does genetics or
environment play in accounting for reasoning skill and other
intellectual aptitudes? At a time when the public school system in
the United States is under attack, this debate has taken center
stage in arguments about what accounts for differences in academic
achievement. Maximizing Intelligence convincingly argues that,
while both genetics and environment play a role in a child's
intelligence, environmental factors, especially at an early age,
are of primary importance. Working from this premise, Armor
suggests how intelligence may be heightened.
Armor presents four propositions about intelligence. His first
is that intelligence exerts a major influence on educational and
occupational success, following a chronological sequence, from a
child's cognitive skills learned before school, to academic success
during the school years, to eligibility for college. His second
proposition is that intelligence can be changed, at least within
limits. There is ample evidence that a child's intelligence is not
fully given at birth, but continues to evolve and change at least
through the early elementary school years, although at a declining
rate.
Proposition three is that intelligence is influenced by a series
of "risk factors," and most of the influence occurs before a child
reaches school age. Risk factors include parent intelligence and
education, family income, family structure and size, nutrition, and
specific parenting behaviors. The fourth proposition flows from the
second and third--that the most promising avenues for maximizing
intelligence come from a child's parents. Armor persuasively argues
for a "whole family" approach whereby government programs are
modified or created to inform parents of risk factors and to reward
behaviors that optimize positive outcomes.
Maximizing Intelligence is meticulously researched and reasoned,
and will be welcomed by those interested in education, sociology,
psychology, social theory, and policy studies.
General
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