Intelligence/nature and nurture

Intelligence is the ability to

remember and use new information

learn

solve problems and adapt to novel situations

Spearman’s generalized intelligence

each person has a mental capacity that allows them to perform well on a variety of cognitive ability measures. people who score well on one test usually score well on others

Crystalized Intelligence

accumulated knowledge and verbal skills that increase with age

Fluid Intelligence

ability to reason speedily and abstractly that decreases in late adulthood

Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory

creative, analytical, practical

Creative

create, design, invent, imagine

Analytical

abilities to analyze, judge, evaluate, compare/contrast

Practical

use, apply, implement, execute ideas

Emotional Intelligence

refers to a person’s ability to regulate emotions and use their emotions to relate to others 

Understand

Understanding emotions

Use

Use emotions and know when they can help us solve problems

Manage

Manage emotions by knowing how to control emotions in different situations

Identify

Being able to identify emotions (in ourselves and others)

Howard Gardner’s 8 Multiple Intelligences

linguistic-verbal, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic, bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematic, musical, visual-spatial

Linguistic-Verbal

able to use words well in writing and speech

good with writing stories

read, writes, debates for fun

Intrapersonal

self-aware & understands their own emotions

enjoy self-reflection and daydreaming

Interpersonal

good at understanding and interacting with people

good with communicating

naturalistic

more in tune with nature

interested in exploring the environment

enjoy camping, gardening, etc.

Bodily-Kinesthetic

good at body movement, performing actions, and physical control

excellent hand-eye coordination and dexterity

good at dancing, sports, etc.

Logical-Mathematic

good at reasoning and logically analyzing problems

enjoy solving complex problems and conducting experiments

Musical

appreciates differences in pitch and sound

appreciation for music and performance

Visual-Spatial

good at visualizing things

good with directions, maps, etc.

reads, draws, puzzles for fun

Binet-Simon

intelligence in children

mental age

chronological age

“name sixty words in three minutes”

first IQ test

Stanford-Binet

consists of a series of items that vary according to the age of the person being tested

“mary was both 13th highest and 13th lowest in a spelling contest. How many people were in the contest?”

most known IQ test

standardized based on a large sample of children

Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale

assess a broader range of cognitive abilities: memory, computation, language understanding, reasoning, and information processing

“which three objects fit together to make the top puzzle.”

Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children

6-16 years old

modified for children

“point to the circle”

Historical misuse

Eugenics - the idea that desirable and undesirable genetic traits could and should be controlled in humans through selective breeding

Education tracking and inequity

IQ tests often used to sort students into gifted/remedial tracks 

over-representation of White students in gifted programs

under-representation of Black, Latinx, and low-income students

Cultural and Socioeconomic Bias

assumes familiarity with upper-class or coastal leisure activities — something kids from lower-income or non-Western backgrounds might not know

assumes access to Western-centric education

penalizes students from immigrant, Indigenous, or non-Western backgrounds

relies on cultural exposure that is Western centric, classroom-dependent, and socioeconomically biased

Overemphasis on a single number

reduces a complex individual to a single score

ignores creativity, emotional intelligence, practical skills

can damage self-esteem or create pressure/perfectionism

Genetics

genetic factors play a role in IQ scores, but hard to separate from environmental factors

IQ scores of identical twins raised together are nearly as similar as those of the same person taking the same test twice

Age

cross-sectional research - older adults score lower than younger adults

longitudinal research - intelligence remains stable within cohorts over time until very late. Environmental differences between cohorts (education, nutrition, family size, etc.)

Sex

few innate sex differences in cognitive aptitudes 

girls outperform boys in: spelling, verbal fluency, locating objects, detecting emotions, sensitivity to touch, taste, and color

boys outperform girls in: spatial ability, and complex math problems

Race

racial and ethnic groups differ in their average intelligence test scores. social construct

Studies with nonhuman animals

testing heritability of aggression

split offspring studies

Adoption/Twin studies

are adopted children more similar to their biological or adoptive parents?

The Flynn Effect

the observed rise in average IQ scores over the past century. highlights how environmental factors like education, nutrition and technology have likely influenced intelligence test performance

recent studies have observed a decline in IQ scores in several countries.

changes in education quality, increased screen time, technological dependence, reduced reading habits, and less cognitively demanding environments may contribute to the decline.

Why does the debate matter?

Mental health, education, and legal system