What is intelligence and how to develop it. The role of education and traditions

Are we smarter than our grandparents, and if so, in what way?

Can we compare mental abilities of African aborigines and representatives of Western civilization?

What are the shortcomings of existing systems for assessing intelligence, and does school make us smarter?

These and many other questions are answered by Richard Nisbett, one of the most outstanding contemporary social psychologists. Analyzing research materials, statistics of foster families, and results of school experiments, Nisbett refutes concepts of genetic determinism of intelligence and demonstrates the role and possibilities of cultural environment and education.