Can We Determine Our Own Intelligence? Richard Nisbett, a University of Michigan social psychologist, says yes. His research claims environment is more powerful than genetics when it comes to influencing IQ and achievement.

In his book, Intelligence and How to Get It: Why Schools and Cultures Count, Nisbett says, “Believing that intelligence is under your control and having parents who demand achievement can do wonders.”

For example, the high academic and occupational attainment seen in some cultures is not due to higher IQs, but to family values that emphasize accomplishment and intellectual attainment, and encourage hard work and persistence.

“Highly ambitious elementary, junior high and high school programs can also produce massive gains in academic achievement,” says Nisbett. “And a variety of simple, cost-free interventions, including, most notably, simply convincing students that their intelligence is under their control to a substantial extent, can make a big difference to academic achievement.”

The author also singles out several educational intervention programs that have been shown to be effective in closing the racial and socioeconomic gap in school achievement.