The Many Faces of Intelligence: A Discussion of Geary’s Mitochondrial Functioning Theory on General Intelligence

摘要

David Geary’s article on intelligence ( ) and the summary of his theory in offer a refreshing and inspirational view on intelligence. One of the longest standing issues in intelligence research is across-domain variance: why do tests with seemingly different contents covary? Is there a casual mechanism common to all these tests? Geary lays out a multi-layer theory of general intelligence, starting with mitochondria-based cellular energy at the deepest level, a factor that affects all cognitive activity. Yet, in his theory there is also room for various mechanisms at higher levels, including brain networks, up to cognitive processes underlying intelligence test performance. Moreover, the theory explains links of general intelligence with other variables such as health. It is a fresh way of thinking about general intelligence.