Intelligence: In Pursuit of Rational Thought and Effective Action 149fictional character. Children raised by animals or in deprived circumstances are
called feral children.When such children are discovered, they seldom display
adequate cognitive functioning. A famous case is that of the wild boy of the for-
est of Aveyron in France. Discovered at the age of seven and studied by the
nineteenth-century physician Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard, the boy, given the name
Victor, never did attain normal intelligence. Similar studies of feral children
support Itard’s research findings. So, in spite of the story of Tarzan, it appears
that early experiences have to be within the context of a human social environ-
ment in order to bring out the individual’s genetic potentiality.
A substantial body of research suggests that a stimulus-rich environment
will make a large difference in measurable intelligence. A stimulus-rich environ-
ment, for human beings, is one that provides a great deal of affection along with
mental stimulation of a verbal and symbolical nature. A child who is played with
spontaneously, exposed to the printed word, provided with challenging toys, and
encouraged to express himself or herself is likely to automatically maximize his or
her genetic potentiality.(a) The fictional tale of Tarzan of the Apesreflects what hypothesis as an explanation of
intelligence?(b) Children raised by animals or in deprived circumstances are called chil-
dren.
(c) A environment, for human beings, is one that provides a great deal of
affection along with mental stimulation of a verbal and symbolical nature.Answers: (a) The genetic hypothesis; (b) feral; (c) stimulus-rich.We can see that in a best-case scenario the function of the environmental fac-
tor is to elicit, or bring forth, the genetic potential of the child. It can’t put that
potential there, but it can help make it reach its highest and best level.
The concept of an interaction, a formal mathematical concept, is useful at this
point. An interactionoccurs when two (or more) variables affect each other in a
complex way. In contrast, the relationship between two variables is said to be addi-
tive when they don’t affect each other’s value. For example, 3 × 3 =9. The rela-
tionship between the numbers is interactive because the whole (the product) is
more than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, 3 + 3 =6. In this case the rela-
tionship between the numbers is additive because the whole (the sum) isthe sum
of its parts.
Loosely speaking, a kind of “magic” occurs when there is an interaction.
Something is produced that is not “in” the original variables. So it is with intelli-
gence. It is very difficult to say, when there is an interaction, that one factor is of
greater importance than another factor. It is the joint effectsof the two factors
working together that produce a result. In the case of intelligence, the nature-