Problem Solving and Intelligence

What is an autistic savant?

• someone who is austistic but is exceptionally skilled in a certain/limited field

• e.g. Stephen Wiltshire; can draw accurate landscapes from memory

• IQ under 70 typically= intellectual disability

• typical IQ of austist= 70

Three different definitions of intelligence?

Alfred Binet- the tendency to maintain direction, adapt for a desired end, and self-criticize

J.P Das- the ability to plan and structure behaviour with an end goal in mind

Robert Sternberg- "the cognitive ability of an individual to learn from experience, to reason well, to remember important information, and to cope with the demands of daily living"

What are the 3 kinds of Sternberg’s intelligence?

1. Analytical: ‘book smart’

• analyzing, judging, evaluating

2. Creative

• innovative, artistic

3. Practical: ‘street smart’

• ability to apply abilities to real-world problems

What does the Arch of Knowledge say?

learning builds memory, and cues help you bring it back later

What is functional fixedness?

only being able to see an object for it’s intended function

overcoming this= thinking outside the box

Where did thinking outside the box originate?

• The phrase may come from the nine-dot problem (Maier, 1930): connect 9 dots arranged in a square using 4 straight lines, without lifting the pen or retracing

What is the difference betwen well and ill defined problems?

Well-defined: clear initial state, clear rules, clear end goal

Ill-defined:unclear goals, no specific rules to follow

What are heuristics?

• mental shortcuts that reduce cognitive load

• they evolved because almost-accurate conclusions are better than waiting around for perfection

What is the availability vs representativeness heuristic?

Availability: making judgements about the frequency of an event based on how familiar it is/ how easily it comes to mind

• e.g. determining your city has a lot of kidnapping’s since there’s lots of amber alerts

Representativeness: making judgments about the probability of something being true based on ideal ideas in our head

• e.g. determining someone’s major based on their study skills

What makes a test reliable?

• Test-retest method: same test taken multiple times; results should be consistent (limitation: practice effect can inflate scores)

• Interrater reliability: multiple observers rate the same thing; high agreement = high reliability

What makes a test valid?

• Predictive validity: does the test score predict future behaviour/performance

What is the history of intelligence tests(3)?

Francis Galton:

• used a reaction test to determine intelligence

• low validity

Alfred Binet:

• developed the first valid IQ test

• tested for children’s learning disabilities

• Focused on: judgement, reasoning, attention; 30 short everyday tasks

Lewis Terman:

• adapted Binet’s IQ test→ Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test

• computed mental vs real age, ratio= IQ score

What did Spearman vs Gardner say about intelligence?

Charles Spearman:

• believed there was a single, general intelligence(g)

• assumed that if someone was intelligent in one area, they were intelligent in all

Howard Gardner:

• proposed multiple(8) kinds of intelligence

  • all independent from each other

What are the modern IQ tests called?

WISC- Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children

WAIS- Weschler Intelligence Scale for Adults

How is IQ standardized?

IQ is standardized:

• Mean score = IQ of 100

• Scores form a normal distribution with a standard deviation of 15

• IQ scores are relative to the population

Who coined the term nature vs nurture?

Francis Galton

Does intelligence depend on genes or environemnt?

BOTH

What is the Flynn Effect?

• raw IQ scores increasing by -3 points every year since 1932, when it was first tested

• since scores in lower range are the ones increasing, this can be attributed to:

  • better nutrition, better quality education, familiarity with testing environments

• IQ has to be updated so mean is still 100

Do Learning Styles Actually Work? - e.g. kinesthetic, verbal, visual, etc.

• No empirical evidence supports this idea