Heiner Rindermann

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Heiner Rindermann (born 12 March 1966) is a controversial German psychologist and educational researcher.

Contents

Academic career

Rindermann received a Ph.D. in psychology in 1995 on the subject of teacher evaluations from Heidelberg University and completed a Habilitation in 2005 on the topic of teacher quality at University of Koblenz and Landau. In September 2007 he was appointed professor for evaluation and methodology of developmental psychology at the University of Graz. Since April 2010, Rindermann holds the Chair of Educational and Developmental Psychology at the Technical University of Chemnitz. [1] [2]

Rindermann attended the 2018 London Conference on Intelligence, [3] and was one of 15 attendees to collaborate on a letter defending the conference following media reports of its ties to white supremacy, neo-Nazism, and racist pseudoscience. [4] [5] [6] [7] The letter was published in Intelligence in 2018. [7]

Research

Rindermann does research in educational psychology, developmental psychology, differential psychology, pedagogy, and clinical psychology. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Intelligence and education

A 2007 study by Rindermann found a high correlation between the results of international student assessment studies including TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA, and national average IQ scores. [12] [13] The results were broadly similar to those in Richard Lynn and Tatu Vanhanen's book IQ and the Wealth of Nations . According to Earl B. Hunt, due to there being far more data available, Rindermann's analysis was more reliable than those by Lynn and Vanhanen. By measuring the relationship between educational data and social well-being over time, Rindermann also performed a causal analysis, finding that nations investing in education leads to increased well-being later on. [14]

Some of Rindermann's work has concentrated on the "smart fraction" theory, which states that the prosperity and performance of a society depends on the proportion of the population that is above a particular threshold of intelligence, with the threshold point being well above the general median intelligence level in most societies. [15] [16] [17]

Rindermann's book Cognitive capitalism: Human capital and the wellbeing of nations was released by Cambridge University Press in 2018. [18]

Related Research Articles

The Flynn effect is the substantial and long-sustained increase in both fluid and crystallized intelligence test scores that were measured in many parts of the world over the 20th century, named after researcher James Flynn (1934–2020). When intelligence quotient (IQ) tests are initially standardized using a sample of test-takers, by convention the average of the test results is set to 100 and their standard deviation is set to 15 or 16 IQ points. When IQ tests are revised, they are again standardized using a new sample of test-takers, usually born more recently than the first; the average result is set to 100. When the new test subjects take the older tests, in almost every case their average scores are significantly above 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intelligence quotient</span> Score from a test designed to assess intelligence

An intelligence quotient (IQ) is a total score derived from a set of standardised tests or subtests designed to assess human intelligence. The abbreviation "IQ" was coined by the psychologist William Stern for the German term Intelligenzquotient, his term for a scoring method for intelligence tests at University of Breslau he advocated in a 1912 book.

Discussions of race and intelligence – specifically regarding claims of differences in intelligence along racial lines – have appeared in both popular science and academic research since the modern concept of race was first introduced. With the inception of IQ testing in the early 20th century, differences in average test performance between racial groups were observed, though these differences have fluctuated and in many cases steadily decreased over time. Complicating the issue, modern science has concluded that race is a socially constructed phenomenon rather than a biological reality, and there exist various conflicting definitions of intelligence. In particular, the validity of IQ testing as a metric for human intelligence is disputed. Today, the scientific consensus is that genetics does not explain differences in IQ test performance between groups, and that observed differences are environmental in origin.

Human intelligence is the intellectual capability of humans, which is marked by complex cognitive feats and high levels of motivation and self-awareness. Using their intelligence, humans are able to learn, form concepts, understand, and apply logic and reason. Human intelligence is also thought to encompass their capacities to recognize patterns, plan, innovate, solve problems, make decisions, retain information, and use language to communicate.

<i>IQ and the Wealth of Nations</i> Book by Richard Lynn

IQ and the Wealth of Nations is a 2002 book by psychologist Richard Lynn and political scientist Tatu Vanhanen. The authors argue that differences in national income are correlated with differences in the average national intelligence quotient (IQ). They further argue that differences in average national IQs constitute one important factor, but not the only one, contributing to differences in national wealth and rates of economic growth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Lynn</span> British psychologist noted for his views on race and intelligence (1930–2023)

Richard Lynn was a controversial English psychologist and self-described "scientific racist" who advocated for a genetic relationship between race and intelligence. He was the editor-in-chief of Mankind Quarterly, a white supremacist journal. He was a professor emeritus of psychology at Ulster University, but had the title withdrawn by the university in 2018. Lynn was lecturer in psychology at the University of Exeter and professor of psychology at the Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, and at the University of Ulster at Coleraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Programme for International Student Assessment</span> Scholastic performance study by the OECD

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading. It was first performed in 2000 and then repeated every three years. Its aim is to provide comparable data with a view to enabling countries to improve their education policies and outcomes. It measures problem solving and cognition.

<i>Race Differences in Intelligence</i> (book) 2006 book by Richard Lynn

Race Differences in Intelligence: An Evolutionary Analysis is a 2006 book by controversial race and intelligence writer Richard Lynn. The book reviews selected literature on IQ testing and argues that genetic racial differences exist, with a discussion of the causes and consequences. Reviews of the book fault the selection of data used, the methodology, and the conclusions drawn from the data, resulting in criticism that it is "the sort of book that gives IQ testing a bad name."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study</span> Study of international math and science skills

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)'s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a series of international assessments of the mathematics and science knowledge of students around the world. The participating students come from a diverse set of educational systems in terms of economic development, geographical location, and population size. In each of the participating educational systems, a minimum of 4,000 to 5,000 students is evaluated. Contextual data about the conditions in which participating students learn mathematics and science are collected from the students and their teachers, their principals, and their parents via questionnaires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmuth Nyborg</span> Danish psychologist and author (born 1937)

Helmuth Sørensen Nyborg is a Danish psychologist, white supremacist and former athlete whose publications have been described as scientific racism.

<i>IQ and Global Inequality</i> 2006 book by Richard Lynn and Tatu Vanhanen

IQ and Global Inequality is a 2006 book by psychologist Richard Lynn and political scientist Tatu Vanhanen. IQ and Global Inequality is follow-up to their 2002 book IQ and the Wealth of Nations, an expansion of the argument that international differences in current economic development are due in part to differences in average national intelligence as indicated by national IQ estimates, and a response to critics. The book was published by Washington Summit Publishers, a white nationalist and eugenicist publishing group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Planck Institute for Human Development</span> Social science research organization located in Berlin, Germany

The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is a social science research organization. Located in Berlin, it was initiated in 1961 and officially began operations in 1963 under the name Institute for Educational Research in the Max Planck Society, before receiving its current name in 1971. Its co-founder and first director was Hellmut Becker. The institute is part of the Human Sciences Section of the Max Planck Society.

The history of the race and intelligence controversy concerns the historical development of a debate about possible explanations of group differences encountered in the study of race and intelligence. Since the beginning of IQ testing around the time of World War I, there have been observed differences between the average scores of different population groups, and there have been debates over whether this is mainly due to environmental and cultural factors, or mainly due to some as yet undiscovered genetic factor, or whether such a dichotomy between environmental and genetic factors is the appropriate framing of the debate. Today, the scientific consensus is that genetics does not explain differences in IQ test performance between racial groups.

The relationship between nations and IQ is a controversial area of study concerning differences between nations in average intelligence test scores, their possible causes, and their correlation with measures of social well-being and economic prosperity.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to human intelligence:

Sex differences in human intelligence have long been a topic of debate among researchers and scholars. It is now recognized that there are no significant sex differences in average IQ, though particular subtypes of intelligence vary somewhat between sexes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences</span>

The UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences is a Division within the Faculty of Brain Sciences of University College London (UCL) and is located in London, United Kingdom. The Division offers teaching and training and undertakes research in psychology and communication and allied clinical and basic science. It is the largest university psychology department in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerhard Meisenberg</span> German biochemist

Gerhard Meisenberg is a German biochemist. As of 2018, he was a professor of physiology and biochemistry at Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica. He is a director, with Richard Lynn, of the Pioneer Fund, which has been described as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He was, until 2018 or 2019, the editor-in-chief of Mankind Quarterly, which is commonly described as a white supremacist journal and purveyor of scientific racism.

The London Conference on Intelligence (LCI) is an invitation-only conference for research on human intelligence, including race and intelligence and eugenics. In 2018, Times Higher Education called it "an annual conference on eugenics and intelligence" and several news outlets have described the conference as having ties to white supremacy, neo-Nazism, and scientific racism.

OpenPsych is an online collection of three pseudoscientific open access journals covering behavioral genetics, psychology, and quantitative research in sociology. Many articles on OpenPsych promote scientific racism, and the site has been described as a "pseudoscience factory-farm". The journals were started in 2014 by a pair of nonprofessional researchers, Emil Kirkegaard and Davide Piffer, who had difficulty publishing their studies in mainstream peer-reviewed scientific journals. The website describes its contents as open peer reviewed journals, but the qualifications and neutrality of its reviewers and quality of reviews have been disputed.

References

  1. "Heiner Rindermann, Autorenprofil". zpid.de (in German). Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  2. Rindermann, Heiner. "Curriculum Vitae - Prof. Dr. Heiner Rindermann" (in German). Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  3. Bennett, Rosemary (11 January 2018). "University College London under fire over its conferences on 'eugenics'" . The Times. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  4. "UCL launches investigation into secret eugenics conference". Times Higher Education . 2018-01-11. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
  5. Daley, Jim (2018-01-12). "Secret Eugenics Conference Uncovered at University College London". The Scientist. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
  6. Fazackerley, Anna (6 December 2018). "UCL launches inquiry into historical links with eugenics". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  7. 1 2 Woodley of Menie, Michael A.; Dutton, Edward; Figueredo, Aurelio-José; Carl, Noah; Debes, Fróði; Hertler, Steven; Irwing, Paul; Kura, Kenya; Lynn, Richard; Madison, Guy; Meisenberg, Gerhard; Miller, Edward M.; te Nijenhuis, Jan; Nyborg, Helmuth; Rindermann, Heiner (September 2018). "Communicating intelligence research: Media misrepresentation, the Gould Effect, and unexpected forces". Intelligence. 70: 84–87. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2018.04.002. S2CID   150156004.
  8. Rindermann, Heiner. "Prof. Dr. Heiner Rindermann - Forschungsschwerpunkte" (in German). Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  9. Rindermann, Heiner; Rost, Detlef (September 7, 2010). "Intelligenz von Menschen und Ethnien: Was ist dran an Sarrazins Thesen?". faz.net (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  10. Rindermann, Heiner (September 12, 2010). "Das Wesen der Intelligenz". nzz.ch (in German). Neue Zürcher Zeitung . Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  11. "Entwicklungspsychologie: Kita-Kinder lernen besser. FR vom 14.8.08" (PDF) (in German). Retrieved 2011-03-07.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. Rindermann, Heiner (August 8, 2007). "The g-factor of international cognitive ability comparisons: the homogeneity of results in PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS and IQ-tests across nations". European Journal of Personality . 21 (5): 667–706. doi:10.1002/per.634. S2CID   8662680.
  13. Flores-Mendoza, Carmen; Ardila, Rubén; Rosas, Ricardo; Lucio, María Emilia; Gallegos, Miguel; Reátegui Colareta, Norma (2018), Flores-Mendoza, Carmen; Ardila, Rubén; Rosas, Ricardo; Lucio, María Emilia (eds.), "Intelligence, Latin America, and Human Capital", Intelligence Measurement and School Performance in Latin America: A Report of the Study of Latin American Intelligence Project, Springer International Publishing, pp. 79–112, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-89975-6_6, ISBN   9783319899756
  14. Hunt, Earl. Human Intelligence. Cambridge University Press, 2011. Page 440-443.
  15. Rindermann, Heiner; Sailer, Michael; Thompson, James (2009). "The impact of smart fractions, cognitive ability of politicians and average competences of peoples on social development" (PDF). Talent Development & Excellence . 1 (1): 3–25. ISSN   1869-0459. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-10-10. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  16. "Are the Wealthiest Countries the Smartest Countries?" (Press release). Association for Psychological Science . Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  17. van der Linden, Dimitri; Dutton, Edward; Madison, Guy (2018-05-23). "National-level Indicators of Androgens are Related to the Global Distribution of Scientific Productivity and Science Nobel Prizes". The Journal of Creative Behavior. 54: 134–149. doi:10.1002/jocb.351. S2CID   149914826.
  18. Heiner., Rindermann (2018). Cognitive Capitalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9781107279339. OCLC   1022780859.