Scott Barry Kaufman is an American cognitive scientist, author, podcaster, and popular science writer. His writing and research focuses on intelligence, creativity, and human potential. Most media attention has focused on Kaufman's attempt to redefine intelligence. Kaufman is founder and director of th
Center for Human Potential
and has taught courses at Columbia, NYU, the University of Pennsylsvania, and elsewhere. He is one of the top 20 most cited scientists studying intelligence. Kaufman has also written a number of books and is host o
The Psychology Podcast
In 2015, he was named one of “50 groundbreaking scientists who are changing the way we see the world” by ''Business Insider,'' and in 2021 Louis Vuitton selected him as one of 200 "visionaries" to celebrate Vuitton's 200th birthday. As a result, his
Manifesto for a Human-Centered Education
appeared in
200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries: The Exhibition
around the world. In 2022, he taught a class on gratitude with Oprah.

Education

Kaufman received his B.S. from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, where he double majored in psychology and human-computer interaction, and where he was

Herbert A. Simon Herbert Alexander Simon (June 15, 1916 – February 9, 2001) was an American political scientist, with a Ph.D. in political science, whose work also influenced the fields of computer science, economics, and cognitive psychology. His primary ...

's last research assistant and a student of

Randy Pausch Randolph Frederick Pausch (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) was an American educator, a professor of computer science, human–computer interaction, and design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pausch learn ...

. In 2005, he received his M.Phil. from

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

under a

Gates Scholarship The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation established the Gates Cambridge Scholarships in 2000 with a $210 million donation to support outstanding graduate students' study at the University of Cambridge. The scholarship is one of the most competitiv ...

, where he worked with

Nicholas Mackintosh Nicholas John Seymour Mackintosh, (9 July 1935 – 8 February 2015) was a British experimental psychologist and author, specialising in intelligence, psychometrics and animal learning. Education Mackintosh was born in London, the son of Ian Mac ...

. After Cambridge, Kaufman earned his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

where he was mentored by

Robert 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 advisor ...

, Jeremy R. Gray, and Jerome L. Singer. From 2009-2010, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the

Center Leo Apostel for Interdisciplinary Studies The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking research university located in Brussels, Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the Flemish government. listof all ...

Research

The dual-process theory of human intelligence

Most theories of human

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 tests of intelligence emphasize controlled and deliberate reasoning as the hallmark of human intelligence. While agreeing that such thought processes are an important component of intelligence, Kaufman argues that spontaneous forms of thinking such as

insight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intu ...

, imaginative play,

daydreaming Daydreaming is the stream of consciousness that detaches from current, external tasks when attention drifts to a more personal and internal direction. This phenomenon is common in people's daily life shown by a large-scale study in which partici ...

implicit learning Implicit learning is the learning of complex information in an unintentional manner, without awareness of what has been learned. According to Frensch and Rünger (2003) the general definition of implicit learning is still subject to some controver ...

, and a reduced

latent inhibition Latent inhibition (LI) is a technical term in classical conditioning, where a familiar stimulus takes longer to acquire meaning (as a signal or conditioned stimulus) than a new stimulus. The term originated with Lubow and Moore in 1973. The LI ef ...

are also important contributors to a wide range of intelligent behaviors as well as creativity. Integrating modern dual-process theories of cognition with research on human

, Kaufman proposed the dual-process theory of human intelligence.Kaufman, S. B. (2009). Beyond general intelligence: The dual-process theory of human intelligence (Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation). Yale University, New Haven, CT.Kaufman, S.B. (2011). Intelligence and the cognitive unconscious. In R.J. Sternberg & S.B. Kaufman (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence (pp. 442-467). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Kaufman, J.C., Kaufman, S.B., & Plucker, J.A. (2013). Contemporary theories of intelligence. In J. Reisberg (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Psychology (pp. 811-822). New York, NY: Oxford University Press The theory emphasizes the importance of adaptation to task demands as the essence of intelligent functioning. At the same time, the theory takes into account an individual's personal goals and accommodates a wide range of intelligent behaviors in a wide range of fields, from the arts to the sciences. A key assumption of the theory is that abilities are not static entities but are constantly changing throughout the life span as the person continually engages with controlled and spontaneous modes of thought. In ''Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined'', Kaufman expanded his dual-process theory to make the point that his theory is also fundamentally developmental, because it views intelligence as the dynamic interplay of engagement and ability over time in the pursuit of personal goals.

Light triad

Influenced by the

dark triad The dark triad is a psychological theory of personality, first published by Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams in 2002, that describes three notably offensive, but non-pathological personality types: Machiavellianism, sub-clinical narcissism, ...

theory of antisocial personalities, Kaufman is researching a proposed "light triad" of personality virtues:

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

Kantianism Kantianism is the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). The term ''Kantianism'' or ''Kantian'' is sometimes also used to describe contemporary positions in philosophy of mind, ...

, and faith in humanity.

Bibliography

Books

*''Choose Growth: A Workbook for Transcending Trauma, Fear, and Self-Doubt'' (2022) New York, NY: TarcherPerigee. (ISBN 0-593-53863-3) *''Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization'' (2020) New York, NY: TarcherPerigee. () *''Twice Exceptional: Supporting and Educating Bright and Creative Students with Learning Difficulties'' (2018) New York, NY: Oxford University Press. () *''Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind'' (with Carolyn Gregoire) (2015) New York, NY: TarcherPerigee. () * ''The Philosophy of Creativity'' (with Elliot Samuel Paul) (2014). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. () * ''The Complexity of Greatness: Beyond Talent or Practice'' (2013) New York, NY: Oxford University Press. () * ''Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined'' (2013). New York, NY: Basic Books. () * ''Mating Intelligence Unleashed: The Role of the Mind in Sex, Dating, and Love'' (with Glenn Geher) (2013). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. () * ''The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence'' (with

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 ...

) (2011). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. () * ''The Psychology of Creative Writing'' (with

James C. Kaufman James C. Kaufman is an American psychologist known for his research on creativity. He is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. Previously, he taught at the California State University, Sa ...

) (2009). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ()

References

External links

Personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaufman, Scott Living people 1979 births Sternberg, Robert J. American educational psychologists Evolutionary psychologists Intelligence researchers American cognitive scientists Positive psychologists New York University faculty Carnegie Mellon University alumni Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Yale University alumni Writers from Philadelphia Lower Merion High School alumni Humanistic psychologists