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14 - Biochemical Correlates of Intelligence

from Part III - Neuroimaging Methods and Findings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2021

Aron K. Barbey
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Sherif Karama
Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal
Richard J. Haier
Affiliation:
University of California, Irvine
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Summary

The search for physiological correlates of intelligence, prior to the 1990s, largely revolved around well-established correlates found across species, particularly nerve conduction velocity and overall brain size. Human studies arose naturally from the psychometric literature noting that individuals with higher IQ had both faster reaction times and less variability in their responses (Jensen, 1982). These reaction time studies implied that there was something about intelligence beyond acquisition of knowledge, learning, and skill development, which: (1) could be measured with a high degree of accuracy, (2) could be obtained with minimal bias, (3) had a developmental trajectory from childhood through the teen years, and (4) (presumably) had something to do with neuronal structure and/or functional capacity.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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