The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence

Understanding Intelligence Across the Discipline 🧠

Intelligence is one of psychology’s most enduring and contested topics. This handbook offers a current, wide-ranging examination of the field, from foundational measurement questions to emerging areas such as collective intelligence and intelligence and video games. Edited by Robert J. Sternberg, the second edition reflects the latest theoretical and empirical work while staying accessible to serious students and professionals.

What This Handbook Covers

The volume is organized into nine major parts. Early chapters trace the concept of intelligence and its measurement, including factor-analytic models and the history of testing. Later sections examine genetic and developmental foundations, group differences, biological underpinnings, and information-processing accounts. The handbook also explores distinct forms of intelligence—emotional, practical, social, cultural, and even artificial intelligence—along with constructs such as creativity, wisdom, and rationality.

Contemporary Debates and New Directions

Rather than avoiding contentious topics, the second edition addresses them directly. Chapters on race and intelligence, sex differences, intellectual disability, giftedness, and the Flynn effect provide balanced treatments grounded in current scholarship. At the same time, the handbook extends into newer territory: collective intelligence, leadership intelligence, consumer and marketer intelligence, intelligence and video games, and intelligence in worldwide perspective.

A Balanced Scientific Perspective

Because intelligence research has long been shaped by ideological disagreements, the editors have emphasized scientific balance and objectivity. Contributors represent a range of approaches and perspectives, allowing readers to see where evidence converges and where genuine uncertainty remains. The result is a reference that supports critical engagement rather than promoting a single orthodoxy.

Who Will Find This Useful

Advanced undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in psychology, education, cognitive science, and related fields will find this handbook a valuable resource. It serves equally well as a structured introduction, a refresher, or a starting point for deeper exploration of specific topics.

For anyone seeking a current, authoritative, and comprehensive survey of intelligence research, this digital edition offers convenient access to a landmark reference. Explore the theories, methods, and findings that continue to shape our understanding of the human mind.