AP

Intelligence

mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

intelligence test

a method for assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores

general intelligence (g)

a general intelligence factor, that according to spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and ins therefore measure by every task on an intelligence test

factor analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person's total score

savant syndrome

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in metal ability has an exceptional specific skill

grit

in psychology, grit is passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

emotional intelligence

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions

mental age

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance

Stanford-Binet

the widely used American revision (by terman at stanford university) of binet's original intelligence test

intelligence quotient (IQ)

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (IQ = ma/ca x 100) on contemporary intelligence tests, the average assigned a score of 100, with scores assigned to relative performance above or below the average

achievement test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

aptitude test

a test designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

the WAIS is the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance subtests

Standardization

defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a retested group

normal curve

the symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes

reliability

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternate forms of the test, or on retesting

validity

the extent to which a test measure or predicts what it is supposed to

content validity

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest

predictive validity

the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior

cohort

a group of people from a given period of time

crystallized intelligence

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

fluid intelligence

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during the late adulthood

intellectual disability

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life (formerly referred to as mental retardations)

Down Syndrome

a condition of mild to severe intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by and extra copy of chromosome 21

heredity

the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of traits may vary, depending on the range of populations and environment studied

stereotype threat

a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype

memory

the persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information

encoding

the processing of information into the memory system

storage

the process of retaining encoded information over time

retrieval

the process of getting information out of memory storage

parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem-solving

sensory memory

the immediate very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system

short-term memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly

long-term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system

working memory

a newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory

explicit (declarative) memory

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare"

effortful processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

automatic processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information

implicit (nondeclarative) memory

retention independent of conscious recollection

iconic memory

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

echoic memory

a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds

chunking

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically

mneumonic

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

spacing effect

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice

testing effect

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. aka retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning

shallow processing

encoding on a basic level based on the structure or appearance of words

deep processing

encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention

hippocampus

a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage

flashbulb memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

long-term potentiation

an increase in a cell's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory