AP Psychology Modules 60-64

Intelligence

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

Factor Analysis

A statistical method used to identify clusters of related items (factors) on a test to determine underlying traits or abilities.

Charles Spearman

Psychologist who proposed the theory of general intelligence (g) and developed factor analysis.

General Intelligence (G)

A general factor that underlies specific mental abilities, proposed by Charles Spearman.

L.L. Thurstone

Psychologist who identified seven primary mental abilities, challenging the idea of a single general intelligence.

Howard Gardner

Proposed the theory of multiple intelligences, suggesting there are distinct types of intelligence (e.g., linguistic, spatial, musical).

Savant Syndrome

A condition in which a person with significant mental disabilities demonstrates extraordinary abilities in a specific area.

Robert Sternberg

Psychologist who proposed the triarchic theory of intelligence, including analytical, creative, and practical intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence

The ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions effectively in social interactions.

Creativity

The ability to produce novel and valuable ideas or solutions.

Intelligence Test

A standardized method for assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them to others.

Alfred Binet

Psychologist who developed the first intelligence test to identify children needing special education.

Mental Age

A measure of intelligence test performance, indicating the chronological age that corresponds to a given level of performance.

Lewis Terman

Psychologist who revised Binet's test for use in the United States, creating the Stanford-Binet test.

Stanford-Binet Test

An intelligence test based on Binet's original work, widely used to assess intelligence in the U.S.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

A numerical measure of intelligence, originally calculated as mental age divided by chronological age times 100.

Aptitude Test

A test designed to predict an individual's future performance or potential in a specific area.

Achievement Test

A test designed to assess what a person has learned in a given subject or skill.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

A widely used intelligence test for adults, including verbal and performance subtests.

Standardization

The process of administering a test to a representative sample to establish norms and ensure consistency.

Normal Curve

A symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many psychological and physical attributes.

Reliability

The extent to which a test produces consistent results over time or across different evaluators.

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 or knowledge it is intended to measure.

Criterion

The standard or benchmark used to evaluate the effectiveness of a test or measure.

Predictive Validity

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

Cohort

A group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as age, studied over time.

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills that tend to increase with age.

Fluid Intelligence

The ability to reason and solve novel problems, which tends to decline with age.

Intellectual Disability

A condition characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior.

Down Syndrome

A genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21, leading to intellectual disability and physical traits.

Heritability

The proportion of variation in intelligence among individuals that can be attributed to genetic factors.

Stereotype Threat

A self-fulfilling concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype.

Stereotype Lift

The improvement in performance that occurs when a positive stereotype is made salient.

Growth vs Fixed Mindset

A concept describing whether individuals believe their abilities can improve with effort (growth) or are fixed and unchangeable (fixed).