An intelligent basis for understanding intelligence
What does an article by E. Turkheimer and D. Willingham offer educators?
Discussions of intelligence quotients are common in special education. To the detriment of we special educators, though, the meaning of IQ and even the concept of intelligence is often misunderstood by many with whom we interact and work. To everyone’s benefit, two psychologists who actually understand intelligence and IQ posted an article on the topic that is accessible both in the sense of “available” and “understandable.”
On 10 December 2025, my colleagues Eric Turkheimer and Dan Willingham published “Ask the Cognitive Scientist: What Do IQ Scores Mean?” in the space for Dan’s regular column in the American Educator. The column is in the winter issue for 2025-2026. In the column, Dear Readers, you will find discussion of important ideas, including
How did concepts of intelligence evolve?
Can education affect IQ?
What does understanding intelligence (and IQ) imply for teachers?
Along the way to answering these questions, Eric and Dan provide explanations of prominent issues in understanding intelligence such as the misperception that intelligence is a reflection of individual worth, the contribution of one’s genetic endowment to IQ,1 and the tight connections between IQ and statistical methods.
Reading this article will help many educators get a clear-eyed re-orientation to the topic of intelligence. To be sure, it comes from psychologists, so it comes with that set of lenses in what is discussed and the evidence on which it draws. There are not examinations of uses of IQ in education: no dives into diagnostic criteria for categories of disabilities not topics such as the uselessness of IQ-achievement discrepancy. The article just provides an overview of some important concepts, for as such it is worth a read.
I’ve had the privilege of knowing these guys for decades. Eric is not only an extraordinarily accomplished scholar, but also a good guy (smile, white hat, Deadhead, etc.). Dan, whom many readers will know because of his books and extensive writings explaining how cognitive psychology research should influence education, and Dan’s another of those good guys (one who’s even kind enough to go to lunch with me). Keep up with these guys; Eric and Dan each have a Substack presence.
Footnote
Eric Turkheimer has studied genetics and human behavioral traits since the 1980s, so he’s really in his element on these parts of the discussion. He’s published 100s of scholarly articles on behavioral genetics covering topics such as personality, dementia, and schizophrenia (in addition to intelligence).