exam 2 Intelligence and Individual Differences, Behavioral Genetics, Learining

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gaJj8KlHeIwhSYjwqnQ3nTmaV9Fl-H8gQslaXU8pUEc/edit?tab=t.0

What is intelligence?

The capacity to think abstractly comprehend complex ideas, reason, plan solve problems, learn from experience and acquire new knowledge

What is the benefit of using IQ tests as a definition of intelligence?

We define intelligence using IQ test as an operational definition of intelligence

On an IQ test, what is the mean and standard deviation?

Mean is 100 and standard deviation is 15

Does Francis Galton believe that nature or nurture plays more of a role in determining intelligence?

He believed that genes determines intelligence as well as personality. “There is no escaping that nature prevails enormously over nature”

What is eugenics?

• The study of or belief in the possibility of improvising the qualities of the human species or a human population

• Discouraging people from undesirable traits or genes from reproducing

What does Radical Behaviorism suggest about intelligence?

• Repplaced eugenics in psychology 

• A belief that we are born a blank slate 

• Nature over nurture 

• John B.Watson founded behaviorism

• Some believed that schizophrenia was due to bad upbringing (mother) and autistic children were due to cold mothers 

What is differential psychology?

The branch of psychology concerned with individual and group differences in psychological traits and behavior. Studies individual differences and tries to tear apart the effects of genes 

• Studies twins and adoptees to show nature and nurture contributed to psychology

What’s the difference between MZ and DZ twins?

MZ= identical twins, fertilized egg splits to produce 2 genetically identical zygotes share 100% of genes 

DZ=twins resulted from 2 separate egg ferilized by 2 different sperm cells ahre about 50% of genes

How does comparing MZ to DZ twins help with controlling the environment?

• Twin studies are examples of natural experiments 

• If rearing environments is the major source of individual differences MZ twins and DZ twins wil be equally similar

 Do MZ or DZ twins perform more similarly on IQ tests?

MZ twins have greater correlated IQ test scores. Genes do influence IQ scores

How are adoption studies critical in determining the role of nature vs. nurture?

Adopted siblings have no genes in common but share

What are the key findings from twin studies & adoption studies?

• Consistently found that MZ twins are similar than DZ twins but are not perfectly similar because environment is important 

• Twins similarity for psychological traits is not different from similarity for physical traits 

• Adopted siblings are only slightly similar. Sharing a reading environment does not make people very similar 

What is the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart (MISTRA)?

• A study that led by thoman bouchard. San an article called “Jim twins,” where 2 men encountered each other and turned out to be twins but where adopted into different families. They were very similar despite growing up separately 

• Thomas tried to find similar cases. Told many people about their twins that they didn;t know about. Recruited 74 pairs f MZ twins and 52 DZ twins brought them to the university to study them. Spouses served as a control group 

• He found the fire fighter twins. Didn;t know about each other until theyr were 31 had identical interest and life choices even going as far as car brands and colors, key rings favorite actors/musicians etc. 

What are the findings of the differences between MZ twins reared apart versus together?

MZ twins reared apart were relatively similar to MZ twins raised together. MZ twins raised together had slightly larger similarities

What did Charles Spearman, Alfred Binet, and David Wechsler contribute to the intelligence field?

Charles Spearman: theory of general intelligence (g) and factor analysis 

Alfred Binet: developed the first practical IQ test to identify children needing help

David Wechsler: created the first standardized adult IQ test, and a widely used series of tests that measure verbal and performance abilities.

What is general intelligence - also called “g”?

A psychometric theory that a single underlying mental ability influences performance across various cognitive task 

In 2008, what was the most frequently given IQ test worldwide?

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV)

What are the four components of a full-scale IQ?

verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, processing speed

what is verbal comprehension?

assesses a persons ability to understand and use language.

• skills like vocabulary, general knowledge, and abstract verbal reasoning 

what is perceptual reasoning

 measures non-verbal reasoning and visual-spacial skills

• ex: solving problems with blocks, identifying patterns in pictures, or completing visual puzzles 

what is working memory? 

Evaluates the ability to hold and manipulate information in one's mind,

• ex: repeating a string of numbers or performing mental calculations 

what is processing speed? 

Measures how quickly a person can perform simple task

• finding matching symbols of completing timed subtest

How are verbal and perceptual reasoning skills different from each other?

Verbal has to do with language, perceptual has more to do with visual-spacial skills

What percentage of individuals in a population are considered gifted and intellectually disabled?

2.3% of the population

What is the difference between reliability and validity?

Reliability refers to how consistent and stable the results of an assessment are

Validity refers to how well a test actually measures what it was created to measure

Is the WAIS-IV reliable and valid?

Yes. its considered reliable and valid test for measuring adult intelligence

Are IQ scores stable over time?

generally especially from late childhood through adulthood although some variation can occur

How does IQ score change throughout your life?

IQ tends to remain relatively stable in adulthood but can slightly increase during childhood and adolescence and may decline somewhat in old age

What is a higher IQ positively related to? What career and social outcomes does it predict?

Higher IQ is positively related to academic success, jobe performance, higher income and better problem-solving abilities. Can also predict more stable employment and social outcomes like educational attainment

What things in the environment can affect your IQ?

nutrition , education, socioeconomics, statue, and exposure ot toxins can affect IQ

What is the Flynn Effect? What causes it?

The observed rise in average IQ scores over generations, likely caused by improvements in nutrition, education, healthcare and more stimulating environments

What is Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences?

Proposes that intelligence is not a single general ability, but a set of multiple distinct intelligences such as linguistic, logical, mathematical, spacial, musical, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existential intelligence

what is fluid intelligence?

 the ability to solve new problems and think abstactly without relying on prior knowledge

what is crystallized intelligence?

 knowledge and skills gained through experience and education 

Fluid intelligence tends to decline with age while crystallized intelligence often remains stable or increases

What are brains made up of?

made up of cells, which are made up of proteins, which are coded by DNA

DNA code serves as instructions for making…

All the different kinds of proteins you make, at the right place, at the right time 

What creates neuronal diversity?

The precise order and timing of gene expression

Overall, is the blueprint for a brain conserved across evolution?

Yes its highly conserved across evolution

How can minor differences in the DNA blueprint make for significant differences?

Small differences can have big effects

What is a genotype?

 the sequence of letter of your genome (often research is focused at a particular spot) mosty (not exclusively) inherited from parents

What is a phenotype?

 a measurable trait ex: height, weight, how high you can jump etc

Do genes work in isolation?

No, they interact together and the environment to influence traits

How do genes, phenotypes, and environments interact?

How do genes, phenotypes, and environments interact?

What is epigenetics?

The study of how environments and behaviors can cause changes that affect the way your genes work, without altering the underlying DNA sequence

What is heritability?

How much a phenotype is inherited presumably due to genetic factors

What do twin studies show about the heritability of phenotypes?

They show that most phenotypes including psychological traits and diseases are heritable to some degree, but rarely to 100%

How is heritability a fraught topic?

Its often misunderstood as a fixed measure of how much genes determine a trait in individuals, when it actually reflects genetic influence on variation withing a specific population and environment. This misunderstanding combined with its social  and political implication makes the topic sensitive and controversial

Why can we not make accurate predictions about a phenotype based on genotype?

Traits are influenced by many genes interacting with complex environmental factors. Also gene expression and interactions are often unpredictable and content dependent

Do neuropsychiatric disorders have a genetic basis?

Yes. Usually influenced by many genes along with environmental factors. This makes their inheritance complex and not determined by genetics alone.