Handbook of Intelligence Evolutionary Theory, Historical Perspective, and Current Concepts

Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotion and problem solving. Although most widely studied in humans, intelligent behavior has been observed in animals and plants. No consensus about intelligence has been reached by scholars, though numerous definitions and hypotheses have been offered during the past 300 years. In this groundbreaking text, intelligence is approached from an evolutionary basis. It begins with an overview of why intelligence may have evolved and the forces that have driven intellectual development, particularly in the human species. The volume provides an overview of intelligence in other species, the origins of intelligence in the human species and a historical visit of intelligence theories and assessment methods during the past 130 years. This is the first and only volume devoted to and treating intelligence from an evolutionary perspective.