ABSTRACT

Methods or strategies can be trained in general, but there are few at best that are powerful enough to count as parts of intelligence. In essence, the teaching of intelligence, like the teaching of moral behaviour, involves the enforcement of certain standards of conduct. The value of the new styles was explained in terms of hypothetical examples; exercises were done; children were given feedback about their actual classroom behaviour. A type of study looks at the overall effect of extended training programs, particularly those for preschool children. The effect of family background on school achievement suggests that personality components are indeed malleable to a considerable degree and that the home conditions of many children could stand improvement. Training children to be less impulsive and more self critical might suffice to produce the same results even in the absence of strategy training.