General intelligence predicts reasoning ability even for evolutionarily familiar content

The existence of general-purpose cognitive mechanisms related to intelligence, which appear to facilitate all forms of problem solving, conflicts with the strong modularity view of the mind espoused by some evolutionary psychologists. The current study assessed the contribution of general intelligence (gt;ggt;) to explaining variation in contextualized deductive reasoning. One hundred and twelve participants solved 70 contextualized reasoning problems in a computerized version of the Wason Card Selection Task that recorded both accuracy and reaction time. Consistent with prior research, in the sample as a whole, precautionary and social exchange reasoning problems were solved more frequently and more quickly than reasoning problems about arbitrary rules. At the individual-differences level of analysis, however, performance on all reasoning tests was significantly correlated and loaded on a single deductive-reasoning accuracy factor. Further, this factor was significantly correlated with gt;ggt;. There was no relation, however, between gt;ggt; and the speed of arriving at the correct answer for any form of deductive reasoning. We discuss the implications of these findings for evolutionary psychology, intelligence, and reasoning.     

The architecture of Fazang’s six characteristics

This paper examines the Huayan teaching of the six characteristics as presented in the Rafter Dialogue from Fazang’s gt;Treatise on the Five Teachingsgt;. The goal is to make the teaching accessible to those with minimal training in Buddhist philosophy, and especially for those who aim to engage with the extensive question-and-answer section of the Rafter Dialogue. The method for achieving this goal is threefold: first, contextualizing Fazang’s account of the characteristics with earlier Buddhist attempts to theorize the relationships between wholes and their parts; second, explicating the meaning Fazang likely attributes to each of the six characteristics; third, situating the characteristics as explicated within Fazang’s broader metaphysical framework.     

A Post-9/11 <Emphasis Type="Italic">Passion</Emphasis>: Review of Mel Gibson’s <Emphasis Type="Italic">The Passion of the Christ</Emphasis>

Gibsong src="/content/k711v7n5137g2422/xxlarge8217.gif" alt="rsquo" align="BASELINE" BORDER="0"&gt;s film extends a long tradition of Euro-American passion plays and martyr dramas, related also to the ritual sacrifice of g src="/content/k711v7n5137g2422/xxlarge8220.gif" alt="ldquo" align="MIDDLE" BORDER="0"&gt;god-actorsg src="/content/k711v7n5137g2422/xxlarge8221.gif" alt="rdquo" align="MIDDLE" BORDER="0"&gt; in other cultures. Yet, the extreme violence of this popular religious movie involves the devotional dangers of cinematic sadomasochism and melodramatic paranoia, with Jews, Romans, and devils as villainous stereotypes–as well as the potential value of tragic catharsis–on a vast scale for todayg src="/content/k711v7n5137g2422/xxlarge8217.gif" alt="rsquo" align="BASELINE" BORDER="0"&gt;s mass-media audience, especially in the post-9/11 context.Mark Pizzato is Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His publications include gt;Edges of Loss: From Modern Drama to Postmodern Theorygt; (Michigan, 1998) and gt;Theatres of Human Sacrifice: From Ancient Ritual to Screen Violencegt; (SUNY, 2004).     

The relationship between intelligence,working memory,academic self-esteem,and academic achievement

Academic achievement is crucial for life and long-term outcomes. The aim of the present study is to examine the joint role of cognitive (intelligence and working memory) and non-cognitive (academic self-esteem) factors in predicting academic achievement (mathematics and reading literacy) in a sample of Italian sixth and eighth graders. The results showed that within the cognitive factors considered, intelligence was the best predictor of achievement. As regards to non-cognitive factors, academic self-esteem was effective at predicting achievement after controlling for cognitive measures. Academic self-esteem was also found to have an indirect effect, mediated by intelligence, on academic achievement. Both theoretical and practical implications of the present results are discussed.     

The Relationship Between Diverse Components of Intelligence and Creativity

Intelligence and creativity are accounted for in terms of two different mental operations referred to as ‘convergent thinking’ and ‘divergent thinking’, respectively. Nevertheless, psychometric evidence on the relationship between intelligence and creativity has been controversial. To clarify their relationship, we characterized the relationship between diverse components of intelligence and creativity through the administration of psychometric tests on a large sample (WAIS, RPM, and TTCT‐figural: gt;ngt; = 215; TTCT‐verbal: gt;ngt; = 137). The general intelligence factor (gt;ggt;) score showed significant correlations with both TTCT‐figural and TTCT‐verbal scores. However, sub‐dimensional analysis demonstrated that their association was attributable to the specific components of both TTCTs (TTCT‐figural: Abstractness of Titles, Elaboration, and Resistance to Premature Closure; TTCT‐verbal: Flexibility) rather than to their common components (Fluency and Originality). Among the intelligence sub‐dimensions, crystallized intelligence (gt;gCgt;) played a pivotal role in the association between gt;ggt; and the specific components of both TTCTs. When the total sample was divided into two IQ groups, these phenomena were more evident in the average IQ group than in the high IQ group. These results suggest that the mental operation of creativity may be different from that of intelligence, but gt;gCgt; may be used as a resource for the mental operation of creativity.     

瑞文推理测验上的性别差异

瑞文推理测验上是否存在性别差异？与较早期的研究结果不同, 较近的一系列研究发现在瑞文推理测验上存在性别差异, 且性别差异具有发展性。当前可以解释该性别差异的观点主要有两种, 其一是污染观, 即认为瑞文推理测验中发现的性别差异实质上是由于测验中其他成分的“污染”所致, 而在它所主要代表的g因素的发展中并不存在性别差异; 其二, 较新的研究提示, “污染”可能存在, 但在g因素上仍然具有性别差异, 这种差异是由生理上的原因造成的。研究者由此提出了智力性别差异的发展理论。本文主要从儿童青少年发展的角度回顾了有关瑞文推理测验性别差异的研究, 综述并分析了关于性别差异研究结果不一致的可能原因。     

Students’ knowledge about the value of discussions for teaching and learning

We are particularly interested in looking at teaching and learning from studentsg src="/content/v7903p154g1m621l/xxlarge8217.gif" alt="rsquo" align="BASELINE" BORDER="0"&gt; perspectives. Focussed interviews and written responses from a number of linked investigations with middle-school and tertiary students highlighted that students perceive discussion to be a valuable teaching -- learning technique. This paper provides text extracts, organised into six key themes, to illustrate studentsg src="/content/v7903p154g1m621l/xxlarge8217.gif" alt="rsquo" align="BASELINE" BORDER="0"&gt; understandings about how discussion helps them to learn. We conclude that, across the whole participant group, knowledge about the various potentials of discussion for learning is wide ranging. However, at the individual level, some studentsg src="/content/v7903p154g1m621l/xxlarge8217.gif" alt="rsquo" align="BASELINE" BORDER="0"&gt; perspectives appear limited. We propose that specific attention to enhancing studentsg src="/content/v7903p154g1m621l/xxlarge8217.gif" alt="rsquo" align="BASELINE" BORDER="0"&gt; pedagogical knowledge about techniques such as discussion should accompany subject matter instruction.     

Conceptions of Creativity and Relations with Judges' Intelligence and Personality

The aim of this study is to describe naïve conceptions of creativity and offer some explanation for their variability. Two methods are used to analyze conceptions of creativity. The first one consists of analyzing adjectives that are associated by naïve judges with the notion of creativity of an advertisement. The second one consists of predicting the evaluation of creative level of advertisements by naïve judges, through the assessment of dimensions such as the originality of these advertisements or the quality of their design. Results show that with both methods, originality is always the most characteristic dimension of creativity. Moreover, the results show that the variability of the importance given to the dimensions of creativity is linked to certain characteristics of judges. In particular, factor g is positively related to the weight given to originality in creativity. A personality trait, preference for novelty, is also positively associated with greater weight for originality in creativity judgments.