"I've always had an interest in human thinking and cognitive abilities."
"It's important for HR personnel to improve their understanding of the IQ concept and its research."
"I believe courses like this can be valued in recruitment contexts."
"I felt like I got a fairly good and broad picture of the research field in a short amount of time."
The course provides essential knowledge about the concept of intelligence and its significance from a broad differential-psychology perspective. Principal features of the present state and more than 150-year history of intelligence research are described, with central terms like psychometric intelligence, general intelligence (g), intelligence quotient (IQ), and cognitive ability. Students will become acquainted with the dominating models of psychometric intelligence and will discuss different definitions of intelligence. One main theme is validity and reliability, with respect to associations and causal relations between psychometric intelligence and outcomes, such as educational- and career success, physical and psychological health, and social relations. Another main theme is environmental and genetic factors that affect intelligence, and how they are related to the Flynn effect and its contrast; decreasing IQ in several countries. The course is given in English.
All meetings take place digitally, i.e. none of the meetings are held on site in Umeå.
90 credits psychology or cognitive science or equivalent. Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English B/6.
Entry requirementsWhat does it mean that the study location is ' Varied'?
All teaching is done digitally via Zoom.
What is the difference between intelligence and cognitive ability?
They refer to essentially the same ability and are sometimes used synonymously. Intelligence more specifically refers to a set of theories and to psychometric measurement, while cognitive ability is more general and is used in various ways in different contexts.
Why is intelligence important in real life?
It is the strongest predictor of educational and career success, especially for more complex and difficult domains, as well as for social relations and quality of life in general.