Lecture 10

Intelligence

Intelligence

An organism’s adaptation to its environment

Adaptation

An equilibrium between the action of the organism on the environment and vice versa

3 basic genetically determined reflex actions

1. Sucking

2. Looking

3. Grasping

Testing intelligence

Francis Galton

• Physical measures

• Intelligence regarded as genetically determined - an inherited capacity

Physical measures

Capacity of the lungs, strength, reaction time

General intelligence and rank

Regarded measuring intelligence as necessary towards ‘improving the human stock’

General intelligence and rank - hypothesis

Hypothesised that:

1. intelligence is an underlying capacity that would influence a person’s performance on tests - whatever the type of test

2. Intelligence would be related tot heir rank - that is their position in society

Binet-Simon scale

Devised an intelligence test for children aiming to test children’s ability so failing children can be given extra support

Revisions of the Simon-Binet scale

Stanford-Binet intelligence scale

IQ

Age taken into account

Terman’s IQ betrayal

Numerical IQ scores less cumbersome that age scores

Labelling people with an IQ was controversial

Reliability

IF a person takes a test, they should achieve the same result

Validity

1. Concurrent validity

2. Predictive validity

3. Content validity

Concurrent validity

How well does the scale measure against another scale or school test performance?

Predictive validity

Can the test predict future performance?

Content validity

Does the test measure intelligence?

Depends on the definition

Intelligence testing - Northern Ireland

Horgan → 11+ exam

Intelligence testing - Netherlands

Harks and Bakker → How fair are intelligence tests for minority groups?

Sternberg

Analytical intelligence

Creative intelligence

Practical intelligence

Gardner’s 8 intelligences

1. Linguistic

2. Logical-mathematical

3. Spatial

4. Musical

5. Naturalist

6. Bodily kinaesthetic

7. Interpersonal

8. Intrapersonal

Linguistic intelligence

An ability to analyse information and create products involving oral and written language

Logical-mathematical intelligence

An ability to develop equations and proofs, make calculations etc.

Spatial intelligence

An ability to recognise and manipulate large scale and fine grained spatial images

Musical intelligence

An ability to produce, remember and make meaning of different patterns of sound

Naturalistic intelligence

An ability to identify and distinguish among different types of plants, animals and weather formations found in the natural world

Bodily kinesthetic intelligence

An ability to use one’s own body to create products or solve problems

Interpersonal intelligence

An ability to recognise and understand other people’s moods, desires etc.

Intrapersonal intelligence

An ability to recognise and understand ones own moods, desires etc.

Cultural variation

Home background

Savants

Individuals who are usually have low intelligence scores as measured on traditional scales

But they may have one or more exceptional ability