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Toward an Epigenetic Conception of Mental Development in the First Three Years of Life

  • Chapter
Origins of Intelligence

Abstract

Despite evidence to the contrary, “real intelligence” historically has been considered to be a relatively unitary trait, constant over age, and pervasive in its governance of nearly all mental behaviors (Hunt, 1961). Although it is currently fashionable to denigrate such a view, it is still prevalent to some extent. For example, the excitement in certain quarters about brain-wave tests of intelligence because scores reflect a unitary characteristic, are apparently constant over age, and are equally distributed among different cultural groups stands as testimony to the lingering vestiges of a unitary, developmentally constant “intelligence.”

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Fels Research Institute, USA

    Robert B. McCall

Authors
  1. Robert B. McCall
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Infant Laboratory, Institute for Research in Human Development, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

    Michael Lewis

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© 1976 Plenum Press, New York

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McCall, R.B. (1976). Toward an Epigenetic Conception of Mental Development in the First Three Years of Life. In: Lewis, M. (eds) Origins of Intelligence. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6961-5_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6961-5_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-6963-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-6961-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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