Intelligence/Research Methods Test

Intelligence

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

General Intelligence (g)

Charles Spearman helped develop the concept of general intelligence, which underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test. A single factor underlies various cognitive abilities, reflecting one's overall mental capacity.

Factor Analysis

statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items, it has revealed underlying commonalities in different mental abilities.

Howard Gardner’s 8 intelligences

Linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal (other ppl), intrapersonal (self), and naturalistic.

Robert Sternberg's Triarchic Theory 3 Intelligences

Analytical (academic problem solving) Intelligence, creative intelligence (divergent thinking, novelty, and adaptability), and practical intelligence (everyday tasks).

Creativity

ability to produce novel and valuable ideas

Components of creativity

Expertise, imaginative thinking skills, A venture personality, intrinsic motivation, creative envirorment

Expertise

A well-developed base of knowledge furnishes ideas, images and phrases we use as mental building blocks

Imaginative thinking skills

ability to see things in novel ways, recognize patterns, and make connections

A venture personality

seeks new experiences, tolerates ambiguity and risk, and perseveres in overcoming obstacles

Intrinsic Motiviation

driven by interest satisfaction, and challenge rather than external pressures like a grade

Creative Environment

Sparks, supports, and refines creative ideas

Emotional Intelligence

Ability to perceive emotions (recognize them in faces, music, and art); understand emotions (predict how they change and blend); manage emotions (know how to express them in varied situations); and use emotions (enable or adapt creative thinking).

Intelligence test

method for assessing individual mental aptitudes and comparing them with others using numerical scores

Alfred Binet

started modern intelligent testing in France in 1904 by developing questions to predict children’s future progress in paris school system and created the first practical IQ test, known as the Binet-Simon scale.

Mental Age

measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance (8 yo who does well as average = mental age of 8)

Standford-Binet

intelligence test developed in the United States, based on Binet's original test, designed to measure intelligence across a broad age range.

William Stern and IQ

Intelligent quotient = mental age/chronological age x 100; worked well for children but not so much for adults

Principles of Test Construction

must have the 3 criteria: standardization, reliability, and validity.

Standardization

defining meaningful scores by comparing with the performance of a pretend group.

Normal curve

is a symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, fewer and fewer scores like near extremes

realiability

is the extent to which a test yields consistent results as assessed by the consistency of scores on 2 halves of the test or on resisiting forms of the test over time.

Validity

High reliability does not equal test validity. Validity = extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

Content Validity

extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest This type of validity ensures that the test covers all relevant aspects of the subject or construct being measured.

Predictive Validity

success to which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; assessed by comparing the correlation between test scores and criteria behavior

Savant Syndrome

ppl with serious mental disabilities have spectacular isolated abilities or brilliance in a specific area

WAIS (Wechsler adult intelligence Scale)

more modern and most widely used intelligence test for adults, measuring various cognitive abilities. Includes Similarities (reasoning commonalities of 2 objects); Vocabulary (naming objects and definitions); Block design (visual abstract processingand problem-solving using blocks); Letter numbering sequence(a measure of working memory and attention) and Matrix reasoning (assessing non-verbal abstract problem-solving).

Genetics

Ppl with similar genes have been shown to have similar mental abilities. → identical twins often have virtually same test scores. → fraternal twins have more similar test scores than sibling vs sibling. → genetic influence is more apparent with time.

Heritability

proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. NOT accurate to say we have the same intelligence level as parents. ON AVERAGE (statistically, can attribute about 50% of intelligence variation to genetic variation.

Envirorment

life experiences intertwine w biology to shape us as individuals. Development can be thwarted by social isolation and malnutrition but not proven other way around. Schooling and intelligence contribute to one another. Aptitudes in an area can lead towards self-selection and direction towards high learning in that same area.

The Flynn Effect

Shows increase of IQ subjects used for standardization over time

→ on average ppl score better than generation before them starting around 1920

Reverse Flynn Effect

A decline in IQ scores observed in some regions over recent decades starting in 200, suggesting that average intelligence levels may be decreasing.

Crystalized intelligence

things taught and trained in; relies on long-term memory

Fluid Intelligence

ability to see new patterns and use logic; peaks in early adulthood

Types of studies

Meta Analysis, Twin Studies, Experimental Methods, Case Study, Cross Sectional Studies, Naturalistic Observation, Correlation Method, Survey and Questionnaires, Longitudinal Studies and Quasi-Experimental Studies.

Meta-Analysis

combines results from multiple studies to identify overall trends and effects

Quasi-Experimental Studies

comparison between groups without random assignment; useful for when random assignment is not feasible; studying existing groups; often used in education and healthcare

Experimental Method

only method that can give us a cause-and-effect relationship; all else is correlational

Hypothesis → “If-then”

Ind. variable → what’s changed

Depend. variable → what’s measured

Ethics

operational Definitions
check for Intervening variables
Control group
Experimental group

Naturalistic Observation

→ not supposed to interfere; makes it hard to establish cause and effect, (observing subjects in their natural environment

→ observer bias can affect interpretation

→ ethical considerations must be taken acc (esp. doing w privicy)

Correlation Method

research method that examines the relationship between 2 or more variables w/ manipulation; does NOT imply causation

useful for identifying patterns/making predictions.

Case Study

a research method that involves an in-depth analysis of (usually) a single individual group or event

useful for explaining unique phenomena

provides rich qualitative data, but has limited generalizability to larger populations

can reveal insights into complex issues

findings may be subjective

often used in clinical psychology to inform treatment approaches

Surveys + Questionnaire

good for small scale; the economy of it

response bias (social desirability) can affect accuracy of results

design(ed) carefully

Longitudinal Studies

involves repeated observations of the same subjects over an extended period of time

can identify trends and casual relationships overtime

time consuming; may suffer from dropout

provides a comprehensive view of changes within individuals or groups

Cross-Sectional Studies

Examines different groups of participants AT SINGLE POINT IN TIME to compare variables and outcomes. (ie political poll)

Twin Studies

compares similarities between identical/fraternal twinsto understand the influence of genetics and environment on behavior and traits. These studies provide insights into nature vs. nurture debates.

Hawthorn Effect (research bias)

Subjects may act differently when they know they’re being watched or observed in a study, potentially skewing results.

Rosenthal Effect

Researchers want their study to be “correct”

designs it in a way to increase likelihood that the data supports hypothesis

Barnum Effect

Data presented in a way that’s too bread and skews results. Individuals believe vague personality descriptions apply specifically to them.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe that you predicted the outcome of something after it happened. “I-knew-it-all-along phenomena”

Confirmation Bias

interpreting data or selecting only the evidence that supports our existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory information.

Qualities of a Good Study

Basis of Comparison

Replication

Operational Definition

Technique to collect data

Hypothesis matches conclusions

Ethics

Random Samples

Standardization of Procedure

Basis of Comparision

involves establishing a standard against which results can be compared. It helps to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments or interventions by comparing outcomes.

make correlational observations; statistical significance

when theres a difference, can start to study

Replication

study must be able to be preformed by others and read what u do and did and then collect same findings

Operational Definition

Define all variables and study components (techniques) in clear, measurable terms to ensure consistency and reliability in research.

Disambiguates vague terms (happiness; can’t measure that accurately)

Likert Scale ( 1-5 satisfaction agree, disagree, neutral, etc)

on HOW data was collected

measurable w ability to ascribe a definite value related to the measure

Technique to Collect data

refers to the specific methods or tools used to collect data

open-ended survey, MCQ

must be valid measure scope of research for study, must be achievable, must relate well to what it needs to measure

SELF-REPORTED DATA

surveys, questionnaires, interviews (more qualitative)

OBSERVATIONAL DATA

behaviors operationally defined by researcher (biases, quantitative)

TESTS

based on preformance

→ personality test; projective (psychoanalysis); objective (myers-briggs)

→ intellectual test; achievment/standardized = SAT; Aptitude = IQ

create great bias of comparision

difficult to create good tests

cultural bias

dangerous concltiosn

subject to research bias

Hypothesis matches conclusions

findings of your study should address your og hypothesis; can only say support or DOES NOT support the original

Ethics

be ethical no harm, consent, ability to withdrawal must be upheld throughout research involving participants.

Random Samples

target population needs to be randomly selected

every indiv has equal opportunity to participate in the study, ensuring that the sample accurately represents the larger population.

Generalizability

must be representative / generalized to ppl @ large all demographics etc

Standardization of procedure

designed to avoid bias and ensure consistency in research methods across all participants, thus enhancing the reliability and validity of the study results.