Intelligence and Academic Achievement

Flashcards covering the definitions of key concepts, theories, and researchers in the study of intelligence as presented in the PSYC 206 lecture notes.

Alfred Binet

Challenged the view that intelligence is based on simple skills; he proposed it involves higher-level abilities such as problem solving, reasoning, and judgment.

Binet-Simon Intelligence Test

An assessment involving tasks like interpreting proverbs, solving puzzles, and sequencing cartoon panels that correlated with current and future school grades.

$g$ (general intelligence)

Cognitive processes that influence the ability to think and learn on all intellectual tasks, representing a single trait influencing all cognitive functions.

Fluid Intelligence

The ability to think on the spot to solve novel problems, draw inferences, and understand relationships between novel concepts; peaks around age $20$.

Crystallized Intelligence

Factual knowledge about the world, reflecting long-term memory for past experiences, such as word meanings and arithmetic answers; grows steadily into old age.

Primary Mental Abilities

Seven abilities proposed by Thurstone ($1938$): Word Fluency, Verbal Meaning, Reasoning, Spatial Visualization, Numbering, Rote Memory, and Perceptual Speed.

Three-stratum theory of intelligence

John B. Carroll's synthesis placing $g$ at the top, several moderately general abilities in the middle, and specific processes at the bottom.

Intelligence tests (Controversy)

Criticized for being too narrow, culturally biased, and simplistic when reducing intelligence to IQ, though they are good predictors of school and occupational success.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)

The most widely used intelligence test for children $6$ years and older, providing an overall score and separate scores for five moderately general abilities.

IQ (intelligence quotient)

A quantitative measure of a child’s intelligence relative to that of other children of the same age, with a mean score established at $100$.

Self-discipline

The ability to inhibit actions, follow rules, and avoid impulsive reactions; found to be more predictive of grades between $5^{th}$ and $9^{th}$ grades than IQ scores.

Practical Intelligence

The ability to accurately read other people’s intentions and motivate others to work effectively as a team, predicting occupational success beyond the influence of IQ.

Passive Effects

Genotype-environment relations where children are raised by biological parents who provide environments influenced by their own genetically based preferences.

Evocative Effects

Genotype-environment relations emerging when children influence other people’s behavior, such as a child who enjoys stories leading parents to read more.

Active Effects

Genotype-environment relations where children choose environments they enjoy regardless of their early environment.

HOME (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment) scale

A measure used to correlate children’s IQ scores with their family environment, including factors like parental emotional and verbal responsiveness.

Shared Environment

Environmental characteristics common to all children in a family, such as the value placed on education.

Non-shared Environment

Environmental influences unique to each child, such as specific interests and friends, which increase in influence on IQ with age.

Flynn Effect

The consistent rise in average IQ scores by approximately $10$ points in many countries over the past $80$ years, possibly due to improved nutrition or technology.

Multiple Intelligences Theory

Howard Gardner's proposal that people possess at least eight kinds of intelligence: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, naturalistic, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal.

Prodigies

Individuals, like Mozart, who display exceptional talent in a specific area from an early age while remaining ordinary in other aspects.

Theory of Successful Intelligence

Robert Sternberg's definition of intelligence as the ability to achieve success in life, involving analytic, practical, and creative abilities.