Chapter 10. Intelligence and Language

Approximate reading time: 1 minute

Cognitive psychologists study a wide range of mental processes. We have already delved into the subfields of sensation and perception, attention, and learning and memory. In this chapter, we will focus on other higher aspects of cognition; we will look at language and intelligence, and briefly discuss how language can affect thinking. Language is a remarkable human ability that lies at the heart of our communication and cognitive processes. Moreover, language and culture cannot be separated. In this chapter, we will explore the use and development of language, how language shapes our identities, and how we think. We will also look at the various ways that psychologists have conceptualised and measured intelligence. We will discuss psychology’s hateful role in the eugenics movement, in which misguided theories of intelligence and biased testing were used to justify discriminatory practices that unjustly marginalised women, BIPOC individuals, sexual minorities, and those with mental illness.