Preface A Little History The Discovery of g The Trouble with "Intelligence" Models and Characteristics of g Challenges to g Biological Correlates to g The Heritability of g Information Processing and g The Practical Validity of g Construct, Vehicles, and Measurements Population Differences in g Population Differences in g: Hypothesized Causes Sex Differences in g The g Nexus Appendix A: Spearman's "Law of Diminishing Returns" Appendix B: Method of Correlated Vectors Appendix C: Multivariate Analyses of a Nexus References Index
The most comprehensive examination of general mental ability-the g factor-ever published.
ARTHUR R. JENSEN is Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley. During the 40 years of his tenure at Berkeley, he has been a prolific researcher in the psychology of human learning, individual differences in cognitive abilities, psychometrics, behavioral genetics, and mental chronometry. His work, published in six earlier books and some 400 articles in scientific and professional journals, has placed him among the most frequently cited figures in contemporary psychology.
"The g Factor is a book that an academic publisher should kill for.
Arthur Jensen is among the pre-eminent psychometricians of the last
half-century....It is a book that every scholar working in the area
will have to read. An indispensable reference in every psychology
library. A book to hold up to young scholars as an example of why a
lifetime of patient and meticulous scholarship is worth
while."-Charles Murray, in National Review
.,."[J]ensen provides a rigorous and persuasive case that the
measurement of g is, contrary to the arguments of many critics...,
a highly objective enterprise....One of my distinguished colleagues
recently told me that every time he read anything by Arthur Jensen,
it was a joy to read and he learned something new. The g Factor
continues this tradition. It is a joy to read and is also full of
new ideas. It is the work of a master scientist."-Contemporary
Psychology
?...[J]ensen provides a rigorous and persuasive case that the
measurement of g is, contrary to the arguments of many critics...,
a highly objective enterprise....One of my distinguished colleagues
recently told me that every time he read anything by Arthur Jensen,
it was a joy to read and he learned something new. The g Factor
continues this tradition. It is a joy to read and is also full of
new ideas. It is the work of a master scientist.?-Contemporary
Psychology
?[I]t is futile to study human ability without this book. To
everyone studying human ability, The g Factor is the indispensible
compendium....Even those who disagree with most of what Arthur
Jensen says in The g Factor, such as myself, have to admire the
sheer dedication, pertinacity, and tireless scholarship that must
have gone into a work of this scope.?-Personnel Psychology
?[T]he book is full of highly technical information, but it is
presented so that a scientifically minded lay audience can
understand. He also presents a wealth of citations to original
research and extensive technical notes....If a reader starts with
the notion that general intelligence is a fictional concept, this
work will easily dispel such a belief.?-The Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science
?A deep, scholarly work....It is balanced and comprehensive,
summarizing virtually all the relevant studies on the nature of
intelligence and demolishing most of the challenges and alternative
explanations of the major findings....These chapters put general
intelligence as a psychological trait on a more solid foundation
than is enjoyed by any other aspect of personality or behavior.
They also speak persuasively to the issue of heritability, the
argument for which becomes more plausible to the extent that
intelligence can be associated with biological
correlates.?-Commentary
?Arthur R. Jensen's tome-like salvo in the race and intelligence
debate....explains the bases of his system for intelligence
measurement, and why he believes that his results indicate a
significant difference among the races.?-Publishers Weekly
?Author Arthur Jensen is arguably the world's leading expert on
intelligence (over 300 papers published) and this book summarizes
his life's work. This makes it a major and one that will be used
for years.?-The Mankind Quarterly
?In this great brick of a book (Jensen) has marshaled three decades
of research to make his complex case about intelligence....(It)
makes The Bell Curve, to which it will inevitably be compared, look
like a biography of Leonardo DiCaprio. Still, it is lucid and for
the most part carefully argued. Those who are inclined to disagree
with Mr. Jensen will find that they have quite a challenge on their
hands.?-Wall Street Journal
?Jensen does the impossible by making a book about psychological
measurement interesting. Though the book will no doubt be
politically controversial, readers will have difficulty arguing
with Jensen's scholarly, scientific approach. To deny the
rationality of Jensen's treatment is to admit a lack of objectivity
on the part of the reader.?-Choice
?Jensen's diligence in resolving one of the more treacherous issues
in psychological research-the nature of human differences in mental
ability-may finally settle the critical aspects of this complex
issue once and for all.?-Society
?The g Factor presents a wealth of fascinating data.?-Galton
Institute Newsletter
?The issue of male/female intelligence has never before been
dispositively resolved. And in recent years a number of scholars
have mounted a powerful and facially plausible argument for an
average male superiority....I had observed that scholars on both
sides of the argument seemed intensely interested in one question:
What does Art Jensen think?....Jensen's new book...is a 650-page
blockbuster that summarizes Art's work on scores of issues, and
leaves you thinking that g is not just some academic construct but
a biological phenomenon with vast explanatory power....He
conclude(s): 'The sex difference in psychometric g is either
totally nonexistent or is of uncertain direction and
inconsequential magnitude.' That settles it: On average the sexes
are equally smart. And yes, that's news.?-Forbes
?This is a challenging book to review. To my knowledge there is
nothing comparable to it in print....it may well be the needed
bridge between the traditional research program in psychology on
intelligence and the research programs of the future. This book
makes a convincing argument not only for the practical importance
of the g factor, but for the position that it is perhaps the
greatest scientific mystery and puzzle in psychology.?-Personality
and Individual Differences
?This tome surely must be considered as the ultimate summary of
research on the general factor g, thought to underlie human mental
ability. Simply put, Jensen organizes several lifetimes of research
and thinking in evaluating the evidence for this concept, its
likely hereditary basis, as well as its implications for
differences among individuals, between the sexes, racial groups,
and for social policy at all these levels. One does not have to
agree with the author to find the presentation extremely
interesting.?-Psychological Reports
..."�J�ensen provides a rigorous and persuasive case that the
measurement of g is, contrary to the arguments of many critics...,
a highly objective enterprise....One of my distinguished colleagues
recently told me that every time he read anything by Arthur Jensen,
it was a joy to read and he learned something new. The g Factor
continues this tradition. It is a joy to read and is also full of
new ideas. It is the work of a master scientist."-Contemporary
Psychology
"�I�t is futile to study human ability without this book. To
everyone studying human ability, The g Factor is the indispensible
compendium....Even those who disagree with most of what Arthur
Jensen says in The g Factor, such as myself, have to admire the
sheer dedication, pertinacity, and tireless scholarship that must
have gone into a work of this scope."-Personnel Psychology
"�T�he book is full of highly technical information, but it is
presented so that a scientifically minded lay audience can
understand. He also presents a wealth of citations to original
research and extensive technical notes....If a reader starts with
the notion that general intelligence is a fictional concept, this
work will easily dispel such a belief."-The Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science
..."[J]ensen provides a rigorous and persuasive case that the
measurement of g is, contrary to the arguments of many critics...,
a highly objective enterprise....One of my distinguished colleagues
recently told me that every time he read anything by Arthur Jensen,
it was a joy to read and he learned something new. The g Factor
continues this tradition. It is a joy to read and is also full of
new ideas. It is the work of a master scientist."-Contemporary
Psychology
"[I]t is futile to study human ability without this book. To
everyone studying human ability, The g Factor is the indispensible
compendium....Even those who disagree with most of what Arthur
Jensen says in The g Factor, such as myself, have to admire the
sheer dedication, pertinacity, and tireless scholarship that must
have gone into a work of this scope."-Personnel Psychology
"[T]he book is full of highly technical information, but it is
presented so that a scientifically minded lay audience can
understand. He also presents a wealth of citations to original
research and extensive technical notes....If a reader starts with
the notion that general intelligence is a fictional concept, this
work will easily dispel such a belief."-The Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science
"A deep, scholarly work....It is balanced and comprehensive,
summarizing virtually all the relevant studies on the nature of
intelligence and demolishing most of the challenges and alternative
explanations of the major findings....These chapters put general
intelligence as a psychological trait on a more solid foundation
than is enjoyed by any other aspect of personality or behavior.
They also speak persuasively to the issue of heritability, the
argument for which becomes more plausible to the extent that
intelligence can be associated with biological
correlates."-Commentary
"Arthur R. Jensen's tome-like salvo in the race and intelligence
debate....explains the bases of his system for intelligence
measurement, and why he believes that his results indicate a
significant difference among the races."-Publishers Weekly
"Author Arthur Jensen is arguably the world's leading expert on
intelligence (over 300 papers published) and this book summarizes
his life's work. This makes it a major and one that will be used
for years."-The Mankind Quarterly
"In this great brick of a book (Jensen) has marshaled three decades
of research to make his complex case about intelligence....(It)
makes The Bell Curve, to which it will inevitably be compared, look
like a biography of Leonardo DiCaprio. Still, it is lucid and for
the most part carefully argued. Those who are inclined to disagree
with Mr. Jensen will find that they have quite a challenge on their
hands."-Wall Street Journal
"Jensen does the impossible by making a book about psychological
measurement interesting. Though the book will no doubt be
politically controversial, readers will have difficulty arguing
with Jensen's scholarly, scientific approach. To deny the
rationality of Jensen's treatment is to admit a lack of objectivity
on the part of the reader."-Choice
"Jensen's diligence in resolving one of the more treacherous issues
in psychological research-the nature of human differences in mental
ability-may finally settle the critical aspects of this complex
issue once and for all."-Society
"The g Factor presents a wealth of fascinating data."-Galton
Institute Newsletter
"This is a challenging book to review. To my knowledge there is
nothing comparable to it in print....it may well be the needed
bridge between the traditional research program in psychology on
intelligence and the research programs of the future. This book
makes a convincing argument not only for the practical importance
of the g factor, but for the position that it is perhaps the
greatest scientific mystery and puzzle in psychology."-Personality
and Individual Differences
"This tome surely must be considered as the ultimate summary of
research on the general factor g, thought to underlie human mental
ability. Simply put, Jensen organizes several lifetimes of research
and thinking in evaluating the evidence for this concept, its
likely hereditary basis, as well as its implications for
differences among individuals, between the sexes, racial groups,
and for social policy at all these levels. One does not have to
agree with the author to find the presentation extremely
interesting."-Psychological Reports
"The issue of male/female intelligence has never before been
dispositively resolved. And in recent years a number of scholars
have mounted a powerful and facially plausible argument for an
average male superiority....I had observed that scholars on both
sides of the argument seemed intensely interested in one question:
What does Art Jensen think?....Jensen's new book...is a 650-page
blockbuster that summarizes Art's work on scores of issues, and
leaves you thinking that g is not just some academic construct but
a biological phenomenon with vast explanatory power....He
conclude(s): 'The sex difference in psychometric g is either
totally nonexistent or is of uncertain direction and
inconsequential magnitude.' That settles it: On average the sexes
are equally smart. And yes, that's news."-Forbes
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