ABSTRACT

“IQ, g, and school achievement are all massively affected by environmental factors”—so concluded Ulric Neisser (1998, p. 21) after summarizing a bounty of recent data bearing on the topic. The data show that preconceptions about the fixedness of intelligence are unwarranted; rather, intelligence is plastic. It can shift in form and degree both within persons and across generations. This chapter explores the plasticity of intelligence by considering what kinds of experience are known to stimulate or stunt its development.