Douglas K. Detterman (born 1942) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

who researches

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

and

intellectual disability Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...

Biography

He earned his B.A. from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

in 1967, his M.A. and Ph.D. from

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

in 1972 and was a postdoctoral fellow at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1972. Detterman taught at

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

from 1970 to 1972, then took a position at

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

, where he has remained since. Among his achievements, Detterman founded the scientific journal ''

Intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

'' in 1977, and was editor in chief from 1977 to 2016 where it was taken over by Richard Haier. He also founded the

International Society for Intelligence Research The International Society for Intelligence Research (ISIR) is a scientific society for researchers in human intelligence. It was founded by Douglas K. Detterman of Case Western Reserve University in 2000. The society advocates for ongoing suppo ...

and was its president until 2011. He has also been a Fellow of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

from 1978 to 1998, a Fellow and charter member of the

American Psychological Society The Association for Psychological Science (APS), previously the American Psychological Society, is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, protect, and advance the interests of scientifically oriented psychology in ...

from 1990 to 1998, and received a Mensa Research Award in 1991. In 1995, he was a signatory of a collective statement in response to public discussion of the book ''

The Bell Curve ''The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life'' is a 1994 book by psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray, in which the authors argue that human intelligence is substantially influenced by b ...

'' titled "

Mainstream Science on Intelligence "Mainstream Science on Intelligence" was a public statement issued by a group of researchers of topics associated with intelligence testing. It was published originally in ''The Wall Street Journal'' on December 13, 1994, as a response to criticis ...

,"Gottfredson, Linda (December 13, 1994).

. ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', p A18. written by ''Intelligence'' editor

Linda Gottfredson Linda Susanne Gottfredson (née Howarth; born 1947) is an American psychologist and writer. She is professor emeritus of educational psychology at the University of Delaware and co-director of the Delaware-Johns Hopkins Project for the Study of I ...

and published in ''

'' and reprinted in ''Intelligence'' in 1997. He also collaborated on several books on intelligence with psychologist

Robert J. Sternberg Robert J. Sternberg (born December 8, 1949) is an American psychologist and psychometrician. He is Professor of Human Development at Cornell University. Sternberg has a BA from Yale University and a PhD from Stanford University, under advi ...

. Detterman has argued that it is unfair to tell people they can accomplish anything if they just put enough practice into it, since they are limited by their abilities. Similarly, he has argued that

cognitive training Brain training (also called cognitive training) is a program of regular activities purported to maintain or improve one's cognitive abilities. The phrase “cognitive ability” usually refers to components of fluid intelligence such as executiv ...

does not increase intelligence, but only one's ability to take tests, and notes the poor quality of studies done by commercial brain training companies (see also Lumosity#Effectiveness and legal history). Instead, he advises parents to save their money.

Publications

*Sternberg R, Detterman DK. ''What is Intelligence? : Contemporary Viewpoints on its Nature and Definition.''

Ablex Publishing Ablex Publishing Corporation is a privately held publisher of books and academic journals in New York City, New York, USA. It was previously located in Norwood, New Jersey, and also at one time in Westport and Stamford, Connecticut. Ablex publis ...

(1986). *Detterman DK, Sternberg R. ''How and How Much Can Intelligence Be Increased.'' Ablex Publishing (1982). . *Detterman DK (ed.). ''The Environment: (Current Topics in Human Intelligence).'' Ablex Publishing (1996). . *Detterman DK, Sternberg R. ''Transfer on Trial: Intelligence, Cognition and Instruction.'' Ablex Publishing (1993). . *Detterman DK. ''Research Methodology: (Current Topics in Human Intelligence).'' Ablex Publishing (1985). . *Detterman DK. ''Theories in Intelligence: (Current Topics in Human Intelligence).'' Ablex Publishing (1994). . *Detterman DK. ''Is Mind Modular or Unitary?: (Current Topics in Human Intelligence).'' Ablex Publishing (1992). . *Sternberg R, Detterman DK. ''Human Intelligence: Perspectives on Its Theory and Measurement (Hardcover).'' Ablex Publishing (1979). . *Detterman DK. ''Individual Differences and Cognition: (Current Topics in Human Intelligence).'' Ablex Publishing (1993). .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Detterman, Douglas K. 1942 births Living people Boston University alumni Case Western Reserve University faculty American cognitive scientists Fellows of the American Psychological Association Intelligence researchers Place of birth missing (living people) Race and intelligence controversy University of Alabama alumni University of Dayton faculty