Arthur Jensen

The g Factor: The Science of Mental Ability

40:30 min
Psychology, Biology, Science
664 pages, 1998

For over two thousand years, debates about human intelligence remained trapped in philosophical speculation, with no scientific foundation for understanding why people differ in mental ability. Jensen's work tackles this fundamental problem by examining decades of rigorous psychometric research that reveals a startling discovery: all cognitive abilities share a single underlying factor called g, or general intelligence. This short systematically dismantles competing theories while demonstrating how g connects to biological processes, genetic inheritance, and real-world outcomes from education to employment. Through careful analysis of factor analysis, brain imaging studies, and population data, Jensen shows that g represents measurable differences in neural efficiency rather than cultural bias or learned skills. His work answers one of psychology's most contentious questions, challenging both blank-slate ideology and simplistic notions of multiple intelligences.

Arthur Jensen

Arthur Jensen was a renowned psychologist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who became one of the most influential figures in intelligence research. His rigorous application of factor analysis and psychometric methods helped establish the scientific foundation for understanding general intelligence as a measurable psychological construct. Jensen's extensive research on cognitive processing, heritability, and population differences sparked decades of scientific debate while advancing the field's methodological sophistication and bridging psychology with genetics and neuroscience.

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Darwin's evolutionary theory revolutionized intelligence research by enabling scientific study of individual mental differences, leading Spearman to mathematically prove all cognitive abilities share one underlying general factor.
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Cover of The g Factor: The Science of Mental Ability