AP Psychology - Vocabulary 13

intelligence

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

factor analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie one's total score

general intelligence

according to Spearman and others, underlies all mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test

savant syndrome

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing

creativity

the ability to produce new and valuable ideas

intelligence test

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

mental age

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age. Thus, a child who does as well as an average 8-year-old is said to have a \___ of 8

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 (thus, \___ \= ma/ca X 100). On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100

aptitude test

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

achievement test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

the \___ and its companion versions for children are the most widely used intelligence test; they contain verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests

standardization

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

normal curve

the symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data. Most scores fall near the mean (about 68 percent fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes

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 measures or predicts what it is supposed to

content validity

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

criterion

the behavior (such as future college grades) that a test (such as the SAT) is designed to predict; thus, the measure used in defining whether the test has predictive validity

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. (Also called criterion-related validity)

mental retardation

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score below 70 and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life; varies from mild to profound

down syndrome

a condition of retardation and associated physical disorders caused by an extra chromosome in one's genetic makeup

stereotype threat

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

fluid intelligence

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

crystallized intelligence

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

construct validity

the extent to which a test measures the psychological construct (e.g. intelligence, anxiety) that it is purported to measure

dynamic testing

a procedure in which static (standardized testing) is followed up with an interaction in which the examiner gives the subject guided feedback on how to improve performance and observes how the subject utilizes the information

entity theorists

an individual who believes that people's characteristics are fixed and relatively unchangeable

incremental theorist

an individual who believes that people's characteristics are changeable, not fixed

interjudge reliability

the extent to which different observers or scorers agree in their scoring of a particular test or observed behavior

metacomponents

in Sternberg's triarchic model of intelligence, the higher-level intellectual abilities used to plan and regulate task performance

Howard Gardner's eight (1/2) multiple intelligence's

1. Linguistic

2. Logical-mathematical

3. Musical

4. Spacial

5. Bodily-kinesthetic

6. Intrapersonal (self)

7. Interpersonal (other people)

8. Naturalist

9. Existential

outcome bias

occurs when an intelligence test score underestimates a person's true intellectual ability

predictive bias

occurs when an intelligence test successfully predicts criterion measures, such as school or job performance, for some groups but not for others

three-stratum theory of cognitives abilities

a model of intelligence based on factor analysis that contains three hierarchical levels of ability, from specific skills to a general intellectual (g) factor

triarchic theory of intelligence

Sternberg's theory of intelligence that distinguishes between analytical, practical, and creative forms of mental ability

psychometrics

the statistical study of psychological tests; the \___ approach to intelligence focuses on the number and nature of abilities that define intelligence