Social Psychology and Intelligence study guide

What is Intelligence?

The ability to learn, meet the demands of environments, and understand and control one's mental activities.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) formula

IQ = Mental Age / Chronological age x 100

Average IQ score

100

How do psychologists operationalize intelligence?

Primarily through IQ tests that rely on verbal ability.

What is WAIS?

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale; assesses verbal and performance IQ.

Dark history of IQ testing

Created a hierarchy of intelligence linked to eugenics.

Summary of IQ development

IQ can help provide resources to benefit individuals, but is not the only measure of intelligence.

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Theory that includes Internal (Analytic), External (Creative), and Experiential (Practical) intelligences.

Internal Intelligence (Sternberg)

Involves comparing, analyzing, and evaluating.

External Intelligence (Sternberg)

Concerns inventing or designing solutions and transferring skills to new situations.

Experiential Intelligence (Sternberg)

Refers to applying known information in everyday contexts.

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Suggests various intelligences can influence each other, but has limited empirical support.

Psychometric Approach to measuring Intelligence

Defines intelligence through carefully constructed psychological tests.

What does reliability refer to in IQ tests?

The degree to which a test produces consistent scores over time.

What does validity refer to in IQ tests?

The extent to which a test accurately measures what it is supposed to measure.

Can a test be reliable but not valid?

Yes, reliability is a prerequisite for validity.

Heritability in intelligence

Statistical estimate of variability attributed to genetics, varies with environmental factors.

Environmental factors affecting Intelligence

Includes family environment, culture, and schooling.

What is the Flynn effect?

The observed increase in IQ scores over time, thought to be related to environmental factors.

What does personality refer to?

Unique characteristics responsible for patterns of inner experience and outward behavior.

Barnum effect

Tendency to accept as valid any general description of personality.

Phrenology

Early approach of feeling bumps on the skull to determine personality.

Psychodynamic perspective (Freud) on Personality

Behavior driven by the unconscious; childhood events shape adult personality.

Defense mechanisms

Largely unconscious reactions that protect from unpleasant emotions.

Repression

Keeping unpleasant memories buried in the unconscious.

Denial (defense mechanism)

Refusing to recognize an unpleasant reality.

Rationalization

Creating socially acceptable excuses for unacceptable behavior.

Reaction formation

Over-emphasizing the opposite of unacceptable impulses.

Projection

Transferring one's unacceptable qualities to others.

Displacement

Diverting impulses to a more acceptable target.

Sublimation

Channeling socially unacceptable impulses into acceptable activities.

Regression

Reverting to immature ways of responding.

Humanistic theories of personality

Focus on growth capacities and subjective views of the world.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Theory suggesting that personality comes from striving to meet needs.

Carl Rogers' contribution to personality theory

Believed in self-actualization and created person-centered therapy.

Trait theories of personality

Suggest personality is composed of fundamental traits that influence behavior.

Gordon Allport

First trait theorist based on the Lexical Hypothesis.

Hans Eysenck's personality superfactors

Includes Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism.

Costa & McCrae

Developed the Five-Factor Model (The Big Five) of personality.

Strengths of Trait Theories

Relatively stable traits and predict other attributes.

Criticisms of Trait Theories

Oversimplifies personality and portrays it as fixed.

Person-Situation debate

Discussion on whether personal traits or situational factors influence behavior.

Situationism

View noting that social situations drive people's responses.

Interactionism

Emphasizes the relationship between traits and situational factors.

Attributions

Causal explanations for behavior, which can be internal or external.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Tendency to overestimate personality factors and underestimate situational influences.

Self-serving bias

Attributing success to internal causes and failures to external ones.

Conformity

Yielding to real or imagined social pressure.

What influences conformity?

Task difficulty and presence of dissenters can affect conformity.

Obedience

Responding to a direct request by an authority figure.

Components of attitudes

Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive components.

Cognitive dissonance

Emotional discomfort from holding contradictory beliefs.

Factors in Interpersonal attraction

Proximity, Similarity, Self-disclosure, Situational factors, Physical attractiveness.

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

Love consists of Intimacy, Commitment, and Passion.