The Future of Individual Differences

Professor Bereiter concurs in Jensen's re-emphasis of the heritability of intelligence,but he draws different conclusions about the probable future. Because most intellectual tools which can be learned act as amplifiers rather than equalizers of basic differences in problem-solving ability and because our complex society increasingly emphasizes intelligence rather than other abilities, Bereiter believes that the kind of educational effort recommended by Jensen may in fact only increase the consequences of individual differences. Nevertheless, he suggests that this pessimistic projection may be open to revision in the light of ongoing work in early remedial education.