In our introductory lecture, Dr. John Vervaeke delves into the nature of intelligence from a cognitive science perspective, acknowledging the lack of consensus on its definition among researchers. Dr. Vervaeke outlines his approach to formulating a strong argument for what intelligence is, based on reviewing the best theories and empirical research to provide a plausible argument grounded in cognitive science. The lecture emphasizes the importance of generalizability, multiple realizability, and avoiding the homuncular fallacy when developing theories of intelligence, drawing lessons from the history of cognitive science.

In lecture two, we probe the ongoing debate between top-down and bottom-up models of general intelligence, examining evidence for each perspective and the challenges in resolving this debate. Dr. Vervaeke emphasizes the central role of relevance realization in cognition and intelligence, arguing that, despite its critical importance, it has remained largely implicit in theories. We explore the close relationship between working memory, consciousness, attention, and fluid intelligence, and discuss how recursive relevance realization in working memory may be the key function underlying general intelligence.

In lecture three, we explore the neuroscientific perspective on intelligence, focusing on the P-FIT theory, which proposes that general intelligence emerges from the dynamic integration of frontal and parietal brain areas. We examine how cognitive flexibility, involving the ability to break and make mental frames, relates to intelligence through evolutionary and developmental processes, with particular emphasis on how the brain efficiently reconfigures itself to navigate both physical and abstract problem spaces.