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Introductory psych textbooks offer a “highly misleading” view of intelligence, say researchers

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Bright Idea From Christian Jarrett at British Psychological Society Research Digest:

Best-selling introductory psychology books give a misleading view of intelligence

A researcher in human intelligence at Utah Valley University has analysed the 29 best-selling introductory psychology textbooks in the US – some written by among the most eminent psychologists alive – and concluded that they present a highly misleading view of the science of intelligence (see full list of books below).

Russell T Warne and his co-authors found that three-quarters of the books contain inaccuracies; that the books give disproportionate coverage to unsupported theories, such as Gardner’s “multiple intelligencies”; and nearly 80 per cent contain logical fallacies in their discussions of the topic.More.

Article here. (public access)

No surprise there. We don’t even know what consciousness is and what we mean by intelligence is generated by consciousness. Textbook writers just need to sound authoritative and students just need to repeat what they learn. And the rubbish will persist uncritiqued for decades, provided it is well-meaning rubbish.

See also: Seven myths of social psychology

and

The illusion of consciousness sees through itself.

Of related interest:

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