intelligence levels

From injuries caused by lead poisoning to the devastating effects of atmospheric pollution, infectious disease, and industrial waste, Americans of color are harmed by environmental hazards in staggeringly disproportionate numbers. This systemic onslaught of toxic exposure and institutional negligence causes irreparable physical harm to millions of people across the country--cutting lives tragically short and needlessly burdening our health care system. But these deadly environments create another insidious and often overlooked consequence: robbing communities of color, and America as a whole, of intellectual power. The 1994 publication of The Bell Curve and its controversial thesis catapulted the topic of genetic racial differences in IQ to the forefront of a renewed and heated debate. Now, in A Terrible Thing to Waste, award-winning science writer Harriet A. Washington adds her incisive analysis to the fray, arguing that IQ is a biased and flawed metric, but that it is useful for tracking cognitive damage. She takes apart the spurious notion of intelligence as an inherited trait, using copious data that instead point to a different cause of the reported African American-white IQ gap: environmental racism--a confluence of racism and other institutional factors that relegate marginalized communities to living and working near sites of toxic waste, pollution, and insufficient sanitation services. She investigates heavy metals, neurotoxins, deficient prenatal care, bad nutrition, and even pathogens as chief agents influencing intelligence to explain why communities of color are disproportionately affected--and what can be done to remedy this devastating problem. Featuring extensive scientific research and Washington's sharp, lively reporting, A Terrible Thing to Waste is sure to outrage, transform the conversation, and inspire debate.

The author examines evidence that people can increase their reflective intelligence--the ability to reflect upon one's thinking patterns and change them--and discusses implications for business, education, and society.

Learn to reestimate and increase your intelligence through hundreds of quizzes and exercises.

Discusses the author's discovery, known as the 'Flynn effect', that IQ test scores have significantly increased from one generation to the next over the past century, and the affect these increases may have on a variety of issues.

Presents the view that low intelligence is the cause of many of America's social problems.

A do-it-yourself guide to increasing intelligence, exploring how the brain works; offering exercises to help individuals use their intelligence effectively; and providing information about foods and supplements that boost brain power.

A collection of essays that dispute the ideas raised in "The Bell Curve : Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life.".

A collection of articles debating issues related to genetics and intelligence, such as whether genetics influences intelligence, the validity of IQ tests, IQ differences among races, and the role IQ research should play in determining social policies.

Contains seven scientific essays that address topics about genius, including savants, Williams Syndrome, prodigies, and more.