Handbook of Understanding and Measuring Intelligence

"...it is extremely useful and contemporary, covering among its five hundred pages, genetics, neuro-imaging and emotional intelligence. It also provides a good indicator of current psychological work in the area with empirical evidence and theory sitting alongside each other. The material on meta-cognition would, I suspect, be of most interest to philosophers, along with the more basic questions concerning the nature of memory and intelligence."
—PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY

"This volume provides an in-depth yet accessible and up-to-date review of the key topics pertinent to current intelligence research. This state-of-the-art summary about our theoretical understanding of human abilities and their measurement is of interest for researchers, practitioners, and advanced students in psychology, education, and related disciplines. It′s a great summary and a good read on a truly important topic."
—Dr. Heinz Holling, University of Muenster

"Wilhelm and Engle have compiled a highly informative set of chapters on various topics related to intelligence. The chapters describing recent European work will be especially informative for North American readers. The work is strengthened by provision of review chapters that keep the reader in sight of the forest rather than the trees."
—Earl Hunt, University of Washington

Without an informed cognitive understanding of intelligence as a construct, the technology of intelligence testing will make little to no progress. Psychologists with a more psychometric background need detailed knowledge about the cognitive processes underlying intelligent behavior. Likewise, psychologists with a more cognitive or experimental background need to make more use of applied knowledge from psychometric research.

Earl Hunt, Without an informed cognitive understanding of intelligence as a construct, the technology of intelligence testing will make little to no progress. Psychologists with a more psychometric background need detailed knowledge about the cognitive processes underlying intelligent behavior. Likewise, psychologists with a more cognitive or experimental background need to make more use of applied knowledge from psychometric research.

The Handbook of Understanding and Measuring Intelligence provides an overview of recent studies on intelligence to help readers develop a sound understanding of results and perspectives in intelligence research. In this volume, editors Oliver Wilhelm and Randall W. Engle bring together a group of respected experts from two fields of intelligence research, cognition and methods, to summarize, review, and evaluate research in their areas of expertise. The chapters in this book present state-of-the-art examinations of a particular domain of intelligence research and highlight important methodological considerations, theoretical claims, and pervasive problems in the field.

The Handbook provides those with a broad interest in individual differences, cognitive abilities, intelligence, educational measurement, thinking, reasoning, or problem solving with a comprehensive description of the status quo and prospects of intelligence research. The book is divided into two parts that are intended to build upon and relate to one another. Part I, the cognitive section, explores several theoretical viewpoints on intelligence and Part II, the methodological section, addresses fundamental statistical problems and pragmatic assessment problems in measuring intelligence.

Key Features

The volume editors provide a general introduction and conclude the book with an integrative epilogue. Contributors to this volume are experts in intelligence with a background in methodology or theory who offer current theoretical perspectives and recent empirical results, which are of interest to a broad audience. In addition to contributions from U.S. intelligence experts, authors from Europe and Australia provide an international perspective and articulate viewpoints and results not otherwise readily available to an American audience. Developments in theory are described with respect to their implications at the measurement level, and developments on the methodological level are evaluated with respect to their contribution to the theoretical understanding of intelligence.

The Handbook is designed for scholars and psychology professionals interested in intelligence, cognitive abilities, educational testing and measurement, reasoning, and problem solving. It can also be used by advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying intelligence or the psychology of individual differences. In addition, the Handbook will be a welcome addition to any academic library.