WHEN PIAGET, SIEGLER AND FLYNN MEET DARWIN
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the Darwinian concepts may help to understand the development and functioning of human intelligence. The text is composed of five parts. In the first section, we present a brief overview of the concepts of intelligence and evolution. In the second section, we expose the complicit nature of the Piagetian theory in relation to its evolutionist counterpart. In the third part, we highlight the fact that the Darwinian concepts are in synch with Siegler’s model of cognitive development. In the fourth segment of the text, we show that the increase in IQ scores over the generations, a phenomenon referred to as the Flynn effect, may be the result of environmental pressures. Finally, we briefly outline the impact of poor intellectual abilities on physical and psychological health.