INVENIRE

Intelligence is one of the most misunderstood concepts imaginable. Contrary to popular belief, intelligence is not too complex to be summarised; researchers found a method of doing so over a century ago. It is not easily changeable after childhood and is largely inherited. Lastly, intelligence has important ramifications, ranging from life expectancy to criminality. Although there are myriad types of intelligence tests, researchers in this field have observed that the level of correlation between intelligence tests that purport to measure different aspects of cognitive ability is high. This correlation was labelled g and is now what scientists are referring to when discussing intelligence. G was first proposed by English psychologist Charles Spearman, in his paper "General Intelligence" Objectively Determined and Measured. Spearman examined the results of various tests of both crystallised and fluid intelligences and noted a significant correlation between seemingly unrelate...

Human attempts to measure human intelligence have been prevalent since the beginning of humanity. Initially, this was not done numerically; people were simply given jobs as scribes based on qualitative measures, such as lineage. However, in the early 20th century, psychologists began to measure mental faculty numerically, devising what would eventually evolve into the IQ test. French psychologist Alfred Binet, alongside Théodore Simon, devised the IQ's test most notable ancestor: the Simon-Binet test. It was published in 1905 and was initially created to identify mental retardation in schoolchildren. For that reason, the skills tested were incredibly specific to schoolchildren; one of the skills tested was paper-cutting. Binet believed that his test would correctly identify children who needed medical care for their cognitive development; however, he stressed that he believed that intelligence could not be described simply numerically. Alfred Binet believed that intelligence shou...

There a wide range of ramifications that are the product of teaching history in schools. These consequences are particularly obvious when history is taught to young children. One product of teaching history at schools that is important to note is the impression that children gain as a result of certain historical events. Children are particularly limited, in comparison to adults, in their critical thinking and reasoning skills. The notable disparity in reasoning skills between children and adults is the reason that children are legally prohibited from gambling; children are, in most cases, incapable of making rational decisions in important situations. Moreover, the cognitive development difference between adults and children has been documented in science. Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, noted that children between the ages of 7 and 11 had developed logical reasoning skills, but were unable to apply these principles to unseen events. He named this stage the "concrete oper...

Thomas Burke, the first Men's 100m winner at the Olympic Games, ran the final in 12.0 seconds. Since the Men's 100m sprint was first contested at the Olympic Games, the level of sprinters has increased dramatically. Today, many regional-level U14 athletes would have been crowned Olympic champion in 1896. Athletes have become taller and more muscular, as the science involved in sprinting has advanced. Sprinters have also specialised more in one event. For example, Jesse Owens won the 100m, 200m, the long jump, and was part of the winning team in the 4 by 100m. In his 100m final, his time was 10.3 seconds. However, athletes today rarely compete in both track and field events. Specialisation allows athletes to adapt their physical features to increase their performance in their chosen sport. Even in business and economics, Adam Smith noted that specialisation in pin-making increased production. A worker who has specialised in making the head of a pin makes the ma...

Vicious or vital? Although animal testing is not at the forefront of political debate, it is still a polarising issue. According to Pew Research, 47% of people support experimentation on animals, whereas 50% are opposed to it. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) states that 100 million animals are used in animal testing per year in the USA alone. Data released by the Home Office, animal experimentation in the UK reached its peak in the 1970s before tailing off; however, it made a resurgence in the early 200s. Animal testing is often used by researchers and scientists to produce drugs and medicines. The results of this research are often applauded by the medical community. Jon Klingborg, president of the California Veterinary Medical Association said, "Their contribution to life-saving advancements in medicine and science for both pets and humans is enormous. Thanks to the last century of animal research, we have achieved life-saving treatments for people and a...