2.8: Intelligence and Achievement

intelligence

The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

general intelligence

A general factor that, according to Spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test

factor intelligence

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

fluid intelligence

Our ability to reason speedily and abstractly with new information; tends to decrease with age, especially during late adulthood

crystallized intelligence

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

CHC Theory

The theory that our intelligence is based on g as well as specific abilities, bridged by Gf and Gc

Multiple intelligences

The theory that our abilities are best classified into several independent intelligences, which include a broad range of skills beyond traditional school smarts; most associated today with Howard Gardner, who identifies at least 8 distinct intelligences

Grit

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

Emotional intelligence

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

Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test

The widely used American revision (developed by Lewis Terman at Stanford University) of Binet’s original intelligence test

Mental age

A measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance. (Thus, a child who does as well as the average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8.)

Intelligence quotient (IQ)

Defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (thus, IQ = ma/ca x 100). On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance of a given age is assigned a score of 100.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

This assessment (and its companion versions for children) are the most widely used intelligence tests in the U.S. today; they contain verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests

Psychometrics

The scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

Standardization

Defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group

Normal curve

The bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.

Validity

The extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

Construct validity

How much a test measures a concept or trait

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

Reliability

The extent to which a test yields consistent results

Test-retest reliability

The consistency of a measure when it is administered to the same group of individuals at different points in time

Split-half reliability

A measure of a test's internal consistency; done by dividing the test into two halves and comparing the scores from each half to see if they are highly correlated

Flynn Effect

The substantial and consistent rise in intelligence test performance over time and across cultures

Cross-sectional study

Research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time

Longitudinal study

Research that follows and retests the same people over time

Cohort

A group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as being from a given time period

Stereotype threat

A self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype, leading to possible worse performance on a test

Stereotype lift

A self-confirming belief that one will be evaluated based on a positive stereotype about one’s group, leading to possible better performance on a test

Achievement tests

Tests designed to assess what a person has learned

Aptitude tests

Tests designed to predict a person’s future performance 

(aptitude is “the capacity to learn”)

Growth mindset

 focus on learning and growing rather than viewing abilities as fixed; seems to have a modest positive impact on performance

Fixed mindset

The view that intelligence, abilities, and talents are unchangeable, even with effort; seems to have modest negative impact on performance