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Intelligence

Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

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Synonyms

Cognitive ability; Intellect; Intellectual ability; Learnability

Definition

An influential definition of human intelligence is “a very general mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience. It is not merely book learning, a narrow academic skill, or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader and deeper capability for comprehending our surroundings – ‘catching on,’ ‘making sense’ of things, or ‘figuring out’ what to do” (Gottfredson 1997a, p. 13).

Introduction

One of the striking facts about our universe is that it contains intelligence. Somehow, planet Earth went from a barren, scorching planet into a flowering display of life. Eventually, Homo sapiens(“wise man”) was the first species on Earth, and possibly in the universe, that started to talk, generate rich cultures, send conspecifics and electronics to space, and invent abstract...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Thomas Haarklau Kleppestø

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  1. Thomas Haarklau Kleppestø
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Correspondence to Thomas Haarklau Kleppestø .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada

    Doug P. VanderLaan

  2. Child, Youth and Family Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Doug P. VanderLaan

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Kleppestø, T.H. (2019). Intelligence. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_634-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_634-2

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Intelligence
    Published:
    25 April 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_634-3

  2. Intelligence
    Published:
    12 April 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_634-2

  3. Original

    Intelligence
    Published:
    18 March 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_634-1

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