The Student Room Group

Is Intelligence genetic?

Is intelligence the ability to memorise large amounts of information and then being able to manipulate or apply that information when needed , or is intelligence the ability to think in ways different from the norm, when faced with a problem?

Is inteligence genetic , and so if you have very intelligent parents does that mean you have the capacity to be very intelligent, regardless of enviromental factors, such as poor schooling?

this probably does not make alot of sense and i've worded it terribly but i hope you can atleast sort of get my drift.:redface:

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Reply 1
I think it's somewhat genetic but mostly due to the environment.

Parents who are intelligent are much more likely to encourage their children to learn to read earlier and push them at school which results to their children doing better and being perceived as being more intelligent.

If a child is left to develop on their own then they might show their true intelligence.

A prime example being my cousin.
^ Is a child who is left to develop there own intelligence,more intelligent than the child that was pushed and helped by their intelligent parents?
Reply 3
You can be intelligent, regardless of how you grow up. So yes, I would say that intelligence is down to genes. However, being clever requires a certain kind of environment - ie/ a school and parents/mentors that teach you things.

You have to be intelligent to be clever, but you don't have to be clever to be intelligent. Although there are varying forms of intelligence - for instance, a scientist will be clever and so will be intelligent when it comes to academic science type things, but probably a bit unintelligent in other aspects of life.

IMO.
Reply 4
Yes, I think intelligence (or the potential to be both intelligent and knowledgable) is primarily genetic.
I think the evidence points towards it being partly genetic.
Reply 6
A bit of both I think. Genetic & environmental.
Primarily genetic, but how it expresses itself is entirely environmental.
Reply 8
There's actually a thread pretty much next to this one in the D&D forum entitled "All races equally smart?" that has already accumulated 950 posts on this topic...
Reply 9
This is very interesting. Lots of people here stating that genes do play a part in intelligence and yet on the "are all races equally smart?" thread everybody steadfastly implying the exact oposite - intelligence there is put down entirely to culture, environment, poverty, opportunity etc.

It goes to show that the answer one gets depends on how politically charged the question is.
I read somewhere that intelligence is just 2% genetic. I, however, find this hard to believe.

In today's day and age, when you can look up virtually anything on the net, or take an interest in anything by looking on wikipedia, or with hundreds of channels - it's just too unlikely that so many siblings seem to show a similar level of similarity.

For example - my brother and I - both very good at maths (my dad's good at maths, my mum is definetley NOT) yet we were both never particularly close with him (parents divorced when I was young) and I HATE maths, therefore never took an interest - I'm just naturally very good at it. I can't think of nay environmental factors to explain this, as we were never encouraged in anything remotely maths-y at all.

Similarly, I'm most interested in Literature, yet was never encouraged to read by my parents (I'm the only person in my family who actually reads anything.) As I say - I don't think I can put this down to environmental factors.

I can also say that I come from a very working-class, deprived area, and the only friends I have who do read books, moved up here from the South, and I've only met in my latter years of high school - so it certainly didn't come from them.
Reply 11
Howard
This is very interesting. Lots of people here stating that genes do play a part in intelligence and yet on the "are all races equally smart?" thread everybody steadfastly implying the exact oposite - intelligence there is put down entirely to culture, environment, poverty, opportunity etc.

It goes to show that the answer one gets depends on how politically charged the question is.


Good point. Maybe the difference lies in using the word "evolution".
Reply 12
KwungSun
Good point. Maybe the difference lies in using the word "evolution".


Not sure I follow.
Reply 13
interllectuallity
Is intelligence the ability to memorise large amounts of information and then being able to manipulate or apply that information when needed


No, though it is a very useful skill.


, or is intelligence the ability to think in ways different from the norm, when faced with a problem?


Yes, it is exactly this IMO.


Is inteligence genetic , and so if you have very intelligent parents does that mean you have the capacity to be very intelligent, regardless of enviromental factors, such as poor schooling?


Mainly genetic IMO - exam results and whatnot I don't care about, because above I have defined intelligence in a different way. However I know plenty of people with terrible educations who are still savvy and creative problem solvers, which is exactly what intelligence really is, for me. I realise that is statistically irrelevant, but my point is that people with genuinely creative, sharp minds are rare at even the best schools - they just get honed well to exams for the most part. This to me suggets that intelligence is not really environmentally determined.


this probably does not make alot of sense and i've worded it terribly but i hope you can atleast sort of get my drift.:redface:


Makes perfect sense, don't worry. But what do you think?
Reply 14
Howard
Not sure I follow.


"All races equally smart" asked whether inherent differences in intelligence could have arisen as a result of evolution. This thread simply asks for "nature vs. nurture". The meaning is essentially the same, but possibly using the word "evolution" leads people to find the idea more repulsive than they would otherwise.
Reply 15
KwungSun
"All races equally smart" asked whether inherent differences in intelligence could have arisen as a result of evolution. This thread simply asks for "nature vs. nurture". The meaning is essentially the same, but possibly using the word "evolution" leads people to find the idea more repulsive than they would otherwise.


Oh.
KwungSun
"All races equally smart" asked whether inherent differences in intelligence could have arisen as a result of evolution. This thread simply asks for "nature vs. nurture". The meaning is essentially the same, but possibly using the word "evolution" leads people to find the idea more repulsive than they would otherwise.


I don't know if evolution is particualrly applicable to the debate. We are one species, the differences in intelligence don't need evolutionary timescales to account for them. The most intelligent ethnic group - ashkenazi jews - built up their IQ over a 1000 year period - before that they were probably average for their region.
Reply 17
id say primarily environmental, especially in the current educational setup.
Reply 18
Dirac Delta Function
I don't know if evolution is particualrly applicable to the debate. We are one species, the differences in intelligence don't need evolutionary timescales to account for them. The most intelligent ethnic group - ashkenazi jews - built up their IQ over a 1000 year period - before that they were probably average for their region.


LOL! Ironic.
I think the environmental only plays a tiny factor in intelligence.

The true intelligent ones were the one's who were intelligent even when they are 4 years old, in comparison to the average people who make up for their lack of genius by reading/revising a lot.

Intelligence becomes less apparent and diluted after school as the playing field becomes less even, so to speak. I found anyway.

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