Intelligence (week 8)

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions, theories, psychometric instruments, historical milestones, and cultural considerations presented in PSYC502 on Intelligence by Dr Jessica McCormack.

Intelligence (Consensus Definition)

The application of cognitive skills and knowledge to learn, solve problems, and achieve valued goals.

Operational Definition of Intelligence (Wechsler, 1939)

The aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with their environment.

Operationalism (Boring, 1923)

The conceptual stance proposed by E. G. Boring that states "intelligence is what an intelligence test measures."

Psychometric Tests

Standardized instruments designed to assess components of an individual's psychological makeup and compare their performance against a broader population.

Eugenics (Sir Francis Galton)

The idea that society should actively encourage individuals with exceptional abilities to reproduce while dissuading individuals with undesirable traits from reproducing.

Galton's Conception of Intelligence

An early framework influenced by Darwinian evolution that viewed intelligence as a basic combination of perceptual, sensory, and motor abilities.

Alfred Binet's Cognitive Conception

An approach to intelligence that rejected simple sensory reaction times in favor of assessing performance on complex cognitive tasks as a superior indicator of ability.

Mental Age (Binet & Simon, 1908)

A developmental score representing the highest age-graded level of standardized cognitive tasks that a child successfully completes.

Intelligence Quotient (Stern, 1912)

An index originally termed the Mental Quotient, defined by the formula: $\text{IQ} = \left(\frac{\text{Mental Age}}{\text{Chronological Age}}\right) \times 100$.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

A standardized clinical intelligence assessment introduced in 1955 that evolved from the 1939 Wechsler-Bellevue scale to measure verbal and non-verbal performance.

Deviation IQ

A scoring framework comparing an individual's performance to same-age peers along a normal distribution, with an average score of $100$ and a standard deviation of $15$.

Intellectual Disability (Diagnostic Criteria)

A condition characterized by an IQ score two standard deviations below average ($\text{IQ} < 70$) combined with deficits in adaptive functioning beginning in childhood.

Twice-Exceptional

A status identifying individuals who exhibit exceptional cognitive giftedness alongside a developmental condition or impairment, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Block Design Test

A WAIS-V visuo-spatial core subtest requiring the timed replication of specific two-dimensional geometric patterns using three-dimensional red-and-white blocks.

Matrix Reasoning

A WAIS-V fluid reasoning subtest where test-takers identify an incomplete visual pattern and choose the correct missing element from multiple options.

Figure Weights

A WAIS-V fluid reasoning subtest that presents balance scales with missing components, requiring participants to determine how to balance the scale without explicit numbers.

Digit Sequencing

A WAIS-V working memory core subtest that requires hearing a sequence of numbers and repeating them back in forward, backward, or ascending numerical order.

Coding Subtest

A WAIS-V processing speed subtest requiring participants to rapidly and accurately draw matching symbols beneath numbers according to an established key within a time limit.

Test Reliability

The degree to which a measurement instrument consistently yields repeatable and stable scores across repeated test administrations.

Test Validity

The degree to which an assessment tool accurately evaluates the specific construct or skill that it claims to measure.

Factor Analysis

A statistical procedure used to uncover common underlying latent variables (factors) that account for patterns of correlations across diverse test performances.

General Factor ($g\text{-factor}$)

Spearman's construct representing an underlying general intellectual energy that accounts for positive correlations across all cognitive performance measures.

Specific Factor ($s\text{-factor}$)

Spearman's construct representing domain-specific or task-specific mental abilities that are independent of general cognitive ability.

Carroll's Three-Stratum Theory (1993)

A hierarchical model organizing cognitive abilities into Stratum III (General Intelligence, $g$), Stratum II (broad abilities like $G_f$ and $G_c$), and Stratum I (narrow, specific abilities).

Fluid Intelligence ($G_f$)

The capacity to reason, think abstractly, and solve unfamiliar problems independently of prior learning, schooling, or acquired experience.

Crystallized Intelligence ($G_c$)

The accumulated pool of knowledge, factual understanding, and vocabulary acquired across the lifespan through education and cultural experience.

Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Model

An integrative framework synthesizing Cattell and Horn's $G_f\text{-}G_c$ theory with Carroll's three-stratum model to inform contemporary intelligence tests like the Stanford-Binet and WAIS.

Information Processing Approach

A cognitive paradigm investigating how individuals encode, process, and manipulate information, emphasizing processing speed, knowledge base, and mental strategies.

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence (Sternberg)

A model stating that successful intelligence consists of three distinct components: analytical intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence.

Analytical Intelligence

The facet of Sternberg's triarchic theory focusing on academic problem-solving, critical evaluation, and abstract reasoning through metacomponents, performance, and knowledge acquisition.

Creative Intelligence

The facet of Sternberg's triarchic theory representing the ability to generate novel ideas, deal with unexpected situations, and adapt effectively to unfamiliar challenges.

Practical Intelligence

The facet of Sternberg's triarchic theory encompassing everyday problem-solving, common sense, and social adaptability in real-world contexts.

Emotional Intelligence (Mayer & Salovey)

The capacity to accurately perceive, generate, understand, and regulate emotions to promote intellectual and emotional growth.

MSCEIT

The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, an ability-based psychometric test presenting emotional scenarios scored by consensus methods.

Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner)

The perspective that human cognition is modular, composed of distinct autonomous intelligences including linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.

Neuropsychological Independence (Gardner)

A foundational criterion stating that each multiple intelligence must be relatively distinct and demonstrable through selective sparing or loss following localized brain trauma.

Flynn Effect

The steady historical increase in average standardized IQ performance observed across successive generations, estimated at approximately $3\text{ points}$ per decade.

The Bell Curve (Herrnstein & Murray, 1994)

A controversial publication claiming racial and ethnic differences in IQ, relying extensively on research funded by the Pioneer Fund.

The Koori IQ Test (Wilson-Miller, 2003)

A culturally situated assessment designed to privilege Aboriginal Australian knowledge, highlighting the inherent cultural bias of conventional standardized intelligence tests.

Insight Learning (Köhler, 1945)

A spontaneous problem-solving phenomenon observed in Sultan the chimpanzee, where solutions occur suddenly without gradual trial-and-error and can be immediately repeated.

Texas Adoption Project (1979–1997)

A landmark study examining the heritability of intelligence, finding that after 10 years, only the IQ correlation between biological parents and children remained above $0.20$.

Ellis Island Immigration Screening (1910s)

An early misuse of the Binet-Simon scale that unfairly labeled non-English speaking European immigrants as intellectually deficient to justify deportation and admission restrictions.