Overview

No feature of the mind is as important, controversial, and mysterious as intelligence. It is the epitome of brain function, and it has a powerful influence on success in life. Thanks to decades of research, we are closer than ever before to understanding it. In The Intelligent Brain, taught by one of the world’s foremost researchers on intelligence, Professor Richard J. Haier of the University of California, Irvine, you’ll trace the fascinating history of intelligence testing and its leading thinkers, as well as what brain imaging studies and the most recent research findings reveal about this complex human phenomenon.

Course Video Lessons

01: What Is Intelligence?

• Duration: 30 min

• Probe the nature of intelligence by examining savants and the connection between intelligence, IQ, and the general factor of intelligence (g).

02: Assessing Intelligence

• Duration: 30 min

• Study the history of intelligence tests, including the Stanford-Binet test and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and consider typical questions used to measure intelligence.

03: General Intelligence in Everyday Life

• Duration: 27 min

• Survey the importance of intelligence in various aspects of life, from school success to financial management, and its implications for public policy.

04: To g or Not to g – Is That the Question?

• Duration: 32 min

• Analyze models of intelligence that include fluid and crystallized intelligence, and explore alternatives like Sternberg’s and Gardner’s theories.

05: Intelligence and Genius over the Life Span

• Duration: 29 min

• Follow the careers of geniuses through classic studies, observing their mental abilities and successes over time.

06: Early Childhood Experience and Intelligence

• Duration: 28 min

• Investigate how early childhood experiences, including compensatory education, affect intelligence and the impact of environmental factors.

07: Genes and Intelligence

• Duration: 31 min

• Delve into the relationship between genes and intelligence, focusing on the search for intelligence-related genes and studies on identical twins.

08: Can We See Intelligence in the Brain?

• Duration: 29 min

• Explore brain imaging technology, particularly PET scans, and their correlation with intelligence.

09: What Brain Imaging Reveals about Intelligence

• Duration: 29 min

• Learn about MRI and MEG technologies, and their findings regarding brain structure and activity related to intelligence.

10: Intelligence and the Brains of Children

• Duration: 29 min

• Examine research on intelligence in children and adolescents, focusing on brain development and critical periods for influence.

11: Sex and Intelligence

• Duration: 28 min

• Survey average differences in mental abilities between sexes and their implications for professional disparities.

12: Race and Intelligence

• Duration: 29 min

• Analyze the persistent performance gap in intelligence tests across races and explore potential causes and remedies.

13: Are We Really Getting Smarter?

• Duration: 29 min

• Investigate the Flynn effect and whether each generation is genuinely smarter than the last.

14: The Mind in Milliseconds

• Duration: 27 min

• Explore the concept of mental chronometry and how it relates to measuring intelligence.

15: Creativity and Intelligence

• Duration: 28 min

• Examine cases where brain trauma reveals hidden creativity and the connection between creativity and intelligence.

16: Can Intelligence Be Enhanced?

• Duration: 29 min

• Look into future possibilities for intelligence enhancement through gene manipulation and non-genetic techniques.

17: Intelligence, Child Rearing, and Education

• Duration: 30 min

• Investigate the potential of brain imaging to tailor education based on cognitive strengths and weaknesses.

18: The IQ Pill

• Duration: 32 min

• Consider the ethical implications of using drugs to enhance intelligence and the future of cognitive enhancement.