Review by Choice Review
Kaufman (psychology, New York Univ.) has written a thorough study of human intelligence. His information is historically accurate and includes the theories of several authors, including Howard Gardner and Robert Sternberg. Kaufman himself was labeled with a learning disability, and this experience helped focus his educational studies. His book provides an overview of the effect of standardized testing on the individual. The discussion is divided into stages; origins, or the foundation and history of IQ testing; labels, which considers the effect of labels on abilities; the rules of engagement; and finally, how ability develops. Both individuals with disabilities and those labeled gifted are discussed. Physical, social, and emotional characteristics are considered in addition to cognitive components. In the final chapter, Kaufman provides his own theory, which could be expanded. The personal anecdotes make this book interesting and easy to read. Some background knowledge of the subject is useful and would benefit the reader's understanding, but is not necessary. Current topics include response to intervention and neuroscience. Kaufman agrees that "the ideal learning environment is one that supports active engagement in learning and facilitates a sense of agency and self-efficacy in the school environment." Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. C. Grissom Marian University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The vexed issues of what great intelligence is and whether it's as crucial to success as we imagine spur this fascinating treatise on cognitive psychology. Psychologist and Psychology Today blogger Kaufman explores the many controversial questions surrounding intelligence and its cultivation. Is it a single thing measurable by an IQ number, or a repertoire of distinct talents? Is it dictated by genes or shaped by environment? Does it foretell creative intellectual contributions or is it just an index of test-taking skills and the result of having a well-heeled family? Can people develop and increase their intelligence-and how? (Practice and "grit," it seems, can move mountains.) Kaufman explores the subject through a smart, lucid, and down-to-earth exposition of the underlying neuroscience and the contentious history of theories of intelligence, and delves into lurid expressions of giftedness: child prodigies; savants with astounding memories; brilliant artists teetering on the brink of madness. He interweaves episodes from his own youth as a decidedly ungifted special-ed kid diagnosed with a learning disability who, through determination and pluck, overcame doubts that he could finish high school and wound up at Yale and Cambridge. Blending incisive analysis with a warm sympathy for intellectual insecurities-and potential-Kaufman demonstrates that even the most ordinary mind is a strange and wondrous gift. Photos & appendices. Agent: Giles Anderson, Anderson Literary Agency. (June 4) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In 1905, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon published the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale. Revised in 1916 by Lewis Terman, the renamed Stanford-Binet scale became the authoritative reference in intelligence testing. When IQ scores were introduced into the classroom to distinguish among different types of students, categories of the learning disabled and gifted were created. Here, psychologist Kaufman (psychology, New York Univ.; blogger, Scientific American Mind) retraces the history of intelligence dating from the last 100 years. He explains in depth the criticism around intelligence testing and introduces readers to the important concepts missing in classic definitions of intelligence such as self-expression, passion, and intuition. He concludes by defining his own Theory of Personal Intelligence, "which integrates research on psychometric intelligence with experimental work on spontaneous cognition and considers an individual's personal goals, development, and unique characteristics." VERDICT Kaufman's portrait of the history of intelligence provides a background on experiments in cognitive psychology, biographical information about influential researchers, and details of his own experience in the special education classroom, making this academic work also personal. Highly recommended for readers curious about human intelligence.-Maryse Breton, Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Cognitive psychologist Kaufman (Psychology/New York Univ.; co-author: Mating Intelligence Unleashed: The Role of Mind in Sex, Dating and Love, 2013, etc.) describes how he overcame a learning disability and defied expectations despite doing poorly on IQ tests. At the age of 3--after finally being cured of a series of ear infections that had impeded his hearing--the author was left with a central auditory processing disorder that slowed his understanding of speech. As a result, Kaufman was set on the special education track, where he remained until middle school, when he convinced his parents and teachers that he could succeed in a normal classroom. The author admits that children with learning disabilities need special help to develop alternative learning strategies and work at their own pace, but he is sharply critical of special ed classes that set the bar too low on achievement and use IQ tests to label children. Kaufman makes a convincing case that stereotyping students is not only unsupported by research, but also discriminatory. He emphasizes how lowered expectations of slow learners causes them to develop low self-esteem, diminishes their motivation and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, magnifying the effects of early learning disabilities--which, with proper education, can be overcome. In Kaufman's case, cello lessons helped him maintain his self-esteem. The author aligns himself with evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker on the need to redefine intelligence more broadly. Coupling his own experience with that of Temple Grandin and Daniel Tammet, who describe how they think using images, he suggests that the development of expertise, associative thinking and pattern recognition are aspects of creative intelligence not revealed by IQ testing. An inspiring, informative affirmation of human potential combined with an overview of historical developments in standardized tests, cognitive psychology and current research.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
