Cognition: Intelligence and Achievement

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to intelligence, its measurement, theories, and related psychological concepts from the lecture notes.

Intelligence

The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations; it is socially constructed and culturally specific.

Aptitude Test

A test designed to predict a person’s future performance or their ability to learn.

Achievement Test

A test designed to assess what a person has learned.

William Stern

Created an early formula to compute one's Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as Mental Age/Chronological Age X 100, though it is no longer widely used for adults in this form.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

A measure of intelligence originally calculated using a formula comparing mental age to chronological age (William Stern).

Factor Analysis

A statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test.

g (General Intelligence)

Charles Spearman's concept of overall intelligence, suggesting that performing well in one area of a test predicts performing well in others.

Charles Spearman

Psychologist who used factor analysis to discover 'g' or general intelligence.

Raymond Cattell

Psychologist who proposed the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence.

Fluid Intelligence

The ability to recognize patterns, see relationships, and use logic to solve new problems quickly; this ability tends to decrease with age.

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge, which tends to increase with age.

Standardization

The process by which a test is pre-tested on a representative sample of people to establish a normal distribution or bell curve of scores.

Norming

The process of constructing norms or typical performance benchmarks for a group of individuals on achievement tests.

Validity

The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.

Content Validity

The extent to which a test covers the entire range of learned material.

Predictive Validity

The extent to which a test predicts future behavior or performance.

Reliability

The extent to which a test yields consistent results over time.

Split-halves Reliability

A method to assess reliability where different halves of the same test yield similar scores for the same groups.

Test-retest Reliability

A method to assess reliability where an individual receives a similar score after taking the same exam multiple times.

The Flynn Effect

James Flynn's hypothesized phenomenon that people are getting 'smarter' or at least better at taking standardized tests over time across generations.

James Flynn

Hypothesized the phenomenon of the Flynn Effect regarding increasing standardized test scores over time.

Stereotype Threat

Occurs when members of a group fear their behaviors may contribute to a negative stereotype about their social group, leading to stress, anxiety, and potentially diminished performance.

Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner's theory suggesting that intelligence is not a single ability but encompasses several distinct abilities or intelligences (e.g., spatial, linguistic, musical).

Howard Gardner

Psychologist who proposed the theory of Multiple Intelligences, developed through studying savants.

Savants

Individuals who have limited mental ability but are exceptional in one specific area, used by Gardner as evidence for his theory of multiple intelligences.

Robert Sternberg

Psychologist who proposed the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence.

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Robert Sternberg's theory that intelligence consists of three distinct aspects: analytical, creative, and practical intelligence.

Analytical Intelligence

One component of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory, referring to academic problem-solving abilities.

Creative Intelligence

One component of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory, referring to the ability to generate novel ideas.

Practical Intelligence

One component of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory, referring to the intelligence required for everyday tasks where multiple solutions may exist.

Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ)

The ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions, sometimes referred to as social intelligence.

Growth Mindset

A belief that abilities can be developed through effort, embracing challenges, learning from criticism, and finding inspiration in others' success.

Fixed Mindset

A belief that abilities are inherent and unchangeable, leading to avoidance of challenges, easily giving up, and feeling threatened by others' success.