• DOI:10.1037/arc0000038
• Corpus ID: 148968864

What Do Undergraduates Learn About Human Intelligence? An Analysis of Introductory Psychology Textbooks

@article{Warne2018WhatDU,
  title={What Do Undergraduates Learn About Human Intelligence? An Analysis of Introductory Psychology Textbooks},
  author={Russell T Warne and Mayson C. Astle and Jessica Hill},
  journal={Archives of Scientific Psychology},
  year={2018},
  volume={6},
  pages={32–50}
}

• Russell T Warne, Mayson C. Astle, Jessica Hill
• Published 26 February 2018
• Psychology
• Archives of Scientific Psychology

Human intelligence is an important construct in psychology, with far-reaching implications, providing insights into fields as diverse as neurology, international development, and sociology. Additionally, IQ scores can predict life outcomes in health, education, work, and socioeconomic status. Yet, students of psychology are often exposed to human intelligence only in limited ways. To ascertain what psychology students typically learn about intelligence, we analyzed the content of 29 of the most popular introductory psychology textbooks to learn (a) the most frequently taught topics related to human intelligence, (b) the accuracy of information about human intelligence, and (c) the presence of logical fallacies about intelligence research. We found that 79.3% of textbooks contained inaccurate statements and 79.3% had logical fallacies in their sections about intelligence. The five most commonly taught topics were IQ (93.1% of books), Gardner’s multiple intelligences (93.1%), Spearman’s g (93.1%), Sternberg’s triarchic theory (89.7%), and how intelligence is measured (82.8%). Conversely, modern models of intelligence were only discussed in 24.1% of books, with only one book discussing the Carroll three-stratum model by name and no book discussing bifactor models of intelligence. We conclude that most introductory psychology students are exposed to some inaccurate information and may have the mistaken impression that nonmainstream theories (e.g., Sternberg’s or Gardner’s theories) are as empirically supported as g theory. This has important implications for the undergraduate curriculum and textbook authors. Readers should be aware of the limitations of the study, including the choice of standards for accuracy for the study and the inherent subjectivity required for some of the data collection process. S C I E N T I F I C A B S T R A C T Human intelligence is an important concept in psychology because it provides insights into many areas, including neurology, sociology, and health. Additionally, IQ scores can predict life outcomes in health, education, work, and socioeconomic status. Yet, most students of psychology do not have an opportunity to take a class on intelligence. To learn what psychology students typically learn about intelligence, we analyzed 29 textbooks for introductory psychology courses. We found that over 3/4 of textbooks contained inaccurate statements. The five most commonly taught topics were IQ (93.1% of books), Gardner’s multiple intelligences (93.1%), Spearman’s g (93.1%), Sternberg’s triarchic theory (89.7%), This article was published February 26, 2018. Russell T. Warne, Mayson C. Astle, and Jessica C. Hill, Department of Behavioral Science, Utah Valley University. This research was previously presented at the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research on February 17, 2017, in Orem, UT; the National Conference on Undergraduate Research on April 7, 2017, in Memphis, TN; the annual conference of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association on April 7, 2017, in Salt Lake City, UT; the annual conference of the International Society for Intelligence Research on July 15, 2017, in Montreal, Canada; and the annual conference of the American Psychological Association on August 3, 2017, in Washington, DC. The authors have made available for use by others the data that underlie the analyses presented in this paper (see Warne, 2017), thus allowing replication and potential extensions of this work by qualified researchers. Next users are obligated to involve the data originators in their publication plans, if the originators so desire. This project was financially supported by a Grant for Engaged Learning and an Undergraduate Research Scholarly and Creative Activities Grant from Utah Valley University. Copyright of this manuscript belongs to the author(s). The author(s) grant(s) the American Psychological Association the exclusive right to publish this manuscript first, identify itself as the original publisher, and claim all commercial exploitation rights. Upon publication, the manuscript is available to the public to copy, distribute, or display under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. Please use APA’s Online Permissions Process (Rightslink®) at http://www.apa.org/about/contact/copyright/seek-permission.aspx to request commercial reuse of this content. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Russell T. Warne, Department of Behavioral Science, Utah Valley University, 800 West University Parkway MC 115, Orem, UT 84058. E-mail: [e-mail] Archives of Scientific Psychology 2018, 6, 32–50 © 2018 The Author(s) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/arc0000038 2169-3269 Archives of Scientific Psychology www.apa.org/pubs/journals/arc and how intelligence is measured (82.8%). We learned that most introductory psychology students are exposed to some inaccurate information about intelligence and may have the mistaken impression that nonmainstream theories (e.g., Sternberg’s or Gardner’s theories) are as empirically supported mainstream theories (such as Spearman’s g).