The Role of Transferable Knowledge in Intelligence

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511607073.012

11 - The Role of Transferable Knowledge in Intelligence

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2009

Susan M. Barnett and

Stephen J. Ceci

Edited by

Robert J. Sternberg and

Jean E. Pretz

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Robert J. Sternberg: Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
Jean E. Pretz: Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut

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Summary

A prerequisite for cognitively complex behavior in a given realm is the possession of a well differentiated yet integrated knowledge base that gets operated on by efficient cognitive processes.

(Ceci, 1996, p. 22)

The transferability of learning is of prime importance in evaluating these educational claims … the transferability of skills is key: If the skills developed by such [educational and training] efforts do not transfer beyond the training context, much of the investment may be considered wasted.

(Barnett & Ceci, 2002)

In the past decade, a new approach to understanding development has been put forward that describes a specific form of interaction between biology and environment, called the “bioecological model” (Ceci, 1996; Bronfenbrenner & Ceci, 1993, 1994). The goal of this chapter is to describe how a bioecological approach informs the study of intellectual development. In doing this, we shall focus on the evidence for the tenet of bioecological theory that is most relevant to intellectual functioning, namely, the knowledge-dependent nature of information processing. Following a description of the evidence for this tenet, we will segue into a discussion of the role of the transferability of knowledge in intellectual competence.

The bioecological approach to development posits a close interplay between knowledge and processing efficiency. What this means in the realm of intellectual competence is that, except for the most basic and dedicated processes (e.g., feature detection), processing efficiency is a function of interaction between genetic potentials for processing and the richness of the knowledge base on which the processes operate.

Type: Chapter
Information: Cognition and Intelligence
Identifying the Mechanisms of the Mind
, pp. 208 - 224

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511607073.012 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2004

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