Chapter 9 Introduction

9Language, Thought, and Intelligence

272

Kalium/AgeFotostock

273

  • Language and Communication: From Rules to Meaning

    • The Complex Structure of Human Language
    • Language Development
    • Theories of Language Development
    • Language Development and the Brain
    • OTHER VOICES Americans’ Future Has to Be Bilingual

  • Concepts and Categories: How We Think

    • Psychological Theories of Concepts and Categories
    • Concepts, Categories, and the Brain

  • Decision Making: Rational and Otherwise

    • The Rational Ideal
    • The Irrational Reality
    • CULTURE & COMMUNITY Does Culture Influence Optimism Bias?
    • Decision Making and the Brain

  • Intelligence

    • The Intelligence Quotient
    • The Intelligence Test
    • THE REAL WORLD Look Smart
    • A Hierarchy of Abilities

  • Where Does Intelligence Come From?

    • Genetic Influences on Intelligence
    • Environmental Influences on Intelligence
    • HOT SCIENCE Dumb and Dumber?

  • Who Is Most Intelligent?

    • Individual Differences in Intelligence
    • Group Differences in Intelligence
    • Improving Intelligence
Christopher absorbed languages quickly from textbooks, yet he completely failed simple tests of other cognitive abilities.
Roman Sigaev/iStockphoto

CHRISTOPHER SHOWED AN AMAZING TALENT FOR LANGUAGES. By the age of 6, he had learned French from his sister’s schoolbooks; he acquired Greek from a textbook in only 3 months. His talent was so prodigious that grown-up Christopher could converse fluently in 16 languages. When tested on English–French translations, he scored as well as a native French speaker. Presented with a made-up language, he figured out the complex rules easily, even though advanced language students found them virtually impossible to decipher (Smith & Tsimpli, 1995).

If you’ve concluded that Christopher is extremely smart, perhaps even a genius, you’re wrong. His scores on standard intelligence tests are far below normal. He fails simple cognitive tests that 4-year-old children pass with ease, and he cannot even learn the rules for simple games like tic-tac-toe. Despite his dazzling talent, Christopher lives in a halfway house because he does not have the cognitive capacity to make decisions, reason, or solve problems in a way that would allow him to live independently.

274

CHRISTOPHER’S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES offer compelling evidence that cognition is composed of distinct abilities. People who learn languages with lightning speed are not necessarily gifted at decision making or problem solving. People who excel at reasoning may have no special ability to master languages. In this chapter, you will learn about several key higher cognitive functions: acquiring and using language, forming concepts and categories, and making decisions: the components of intelligence itself. You’ll also learn about where intelligence comes from, how it’s measured, and whether it can be improved.