Testing and Intelligence Test

Intelligence

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

General Intelligence (g)

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

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 a person's total score.

Fluid Intelligence (Gf)

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

Crystalized Intelligence (Gc)

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

Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Theory

the theory that our intelligence is based on g as well as specific abilities, bridged by Gf and Gc

Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

Said that our abilities are best classified into eight or nine independent intelligences, which include a broad range of skills beyond traditional school smarts.

Savant Syndrome

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

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Three Intelligences

Proposed three intelligences instead of 8 or 9, Analytical, Creative, and Practical

Grit

In psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

Emotional Intelligence

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions

Intelligence Test

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

Achievement Test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

Aptitude Test

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

Mental Age

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance

Alfred Binet

Created first intelligence test for Parisian school children

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests.

Psychometrics

the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

Standardization

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

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

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.

Flynn Effect

The rise in average IQ scores that has occurred over the decades in many nations

Cross Sectional Studies

Longitudinal Studies

Cohort

Heritability

Growth Mindset

Fixed Mindset

Biological Parent

Do adopted children have closer IQ scores with their adopted or biological parent

Similar

Do twins raised separately have similar or different IQ scores

Males

Better at special relations and complex math

Females

Better at spelling, verbal fluency, reading, and detecting emotions

Stereotype Threat

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