Intelligence a very short introduction describes what psychologists have discovered about how and why people differ in their thinking powers drawing on large scale data it considers how many types of intelligence there are and how intelligence changes with age. Intelligence a very short introduction describes how and why people differ in their thinking power by dealing with issues such as what intelligence is whether there are several different types of intelligence and whether one person can be described as more intelligent than another the fact that the broad powers of human intelligence show differences has been recognized since antiquity. Very short introductions describes what psychologists have discovered about how and why people differ in their thinking powers includes a new chapter on sex differences in intelligence considers the new field of cognitive epidemiology which draws links between intelligence and better health . Intelligence a very short introduction very short introductions 39 ian j deary deary i j 2001 intelligence a very short introduction oxford uk oxford university press ian john deary born 1954 is a scottish psychologist known for work in the fields of intelligence cognitive ageing cognitive epidemiology and personality