Review of The morphologic aspect of intelligence

Abstract

Reviews the book, The morphologic aspect of intelligence by Sante Naccarati (1921). This is an attempt to determine the extent to which certain anthropometric traits correspond with intelligence. Previous investigations in this field have shown discordant results, the reason ascribed by the author being that the anthropometric traits considered were used singly. Intelligence, however, is a complex trait; and accordingly any anthropometric trait that is to be considered as a correlative must be compound, made up of several elementary traits. To secure this the author devised a "morphologic index" given by the ratio of value of the extremities (length of one upper and one lower limb) to the volume of the trunk. The subjects used were University students who had been measured with either the Army Alpha, Otis, or Thorndike intelligence tests. Suggestive remarks are thrown out by the author to the effect that the morphologic type, (whether microsplanchnic, normosplanchnic or macrosplanchnic--it is the first that gives the more intelligent units) is the outcome of hereditary and accidental factors and that the microsplanchnic type corresponds to the hyperthyroid type; in this respect offering support to the common belief that the thyroid bears relationship to intelligence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)