intelligence

Alfred Binet

Alfred Binet

psychologist commissioned by Parisian school system to design intelligence test for educational placement

mental age

the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance; used by Binet to characterize early IQ scores

William Stern

German psychologist who developed the formula for intelligence quotient (IQ); [mental age/chronological age] X 100 = IQ

Lewis Terman

revised and adapted Binet's test for use in the US; assisted with development of intelligence tests for the army during WWI

Stanford-Binet

the widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet's original intelligence test

Francis Galton

advocated use of intelligence tests as a measure of mental "fitness"; proponent of the eugenics movement & cousin of Charles Darwin

Charles Spearman

researcher who promoted theory of general intelligence (g) after factor analysis of major intelligence

intelligence

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

factor analysis

a statistical procedure that indentifies clusters of related test items on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie one's total score

general intelligence (g)

general ability that Spearman and others believed underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test

savant syndrome

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

Howard Gardner

researcher known for his theory of multiple intelligences

multiple intelligences

the idea that there may be several specific "intelligences" that can exist in a individual independently of one another (e.g. visual-spatial, kinesthetic, verbal, etc.)

emotional intelligence

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions; "EQ"

Robert Sternberg

devised a theory of "successful intelligence" (academic problem-solving, practical, and creative); theory also known as "Triarchic Theory of Intelligence"

Successful Intelligence

Sternberg's notion that successfully functioning individuals must be 1.) analytical, 2.) creative, 3.) practical; a.k.a. triarchic theory of intelligence

creativity

human ability believed to be enhanced by expertise, imaginative thinking abilities, venturesome personality type, intrinsic motivation, and a conducive environment

aptitude test

a test designed to predict a person's future performance or capacity to learn

achievement test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned (e.g. final exam in a literature course)

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance subtests

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)

an individual test developed especially for school-aged children; it yields verbal, performance, and full scale IQ scores

Standardization

defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested, representative, sample group.

test-retest reliability

the degree to which test scores are similar or stable over time versus the degree to which scores change or fluctuate upon repeated testings

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

alternate form reliability

A type of reliability, where different versions of same instrument are used and scores are compared

split-half reliability

A test is divided into 2 halves and the scores on the halves are compared to see if the test is cosistant within itself. Odds

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 (such as a driving test that samples driving tasks).

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.

criterion

the behavior (such as future college grades) that a test (such as the SAT) is designed to predict; thus, the measure used in defining whether the test has predictive validity (i.e. it's the "thing" or ability that the test is supposed to measure)

crystallized intelligence

one's accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

fluid intelligence

one's ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

intellectual disability

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life; varies from mild to profound (previously "mental retardation")

Down Syndrome

A condition of intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra chromosome in one's genetic makeup.

stereotype threat

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

positively skewed distribution

asymmetric distribution in which the majority of the data is concentrated below (to the left of) the mean

negatively skewed distribution

asymmetric distribution in which the majority of the data is concentrated to the right of the mean

measures of central tendency

mean, median, & mode

measures of variation

range, variance, & standard deviation