AP Psychology Unit 2c (Module 2.8) - Intelligence Vocab

Intelligence

The ability to learn from experience

General intelligence (g)

A factor that Charles Spearman postulated as underlying specific mental abilities, measured by every task on an intelligence test.

Factor analysis

A statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score.

Mental age

A measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance.

Chronological age

The actual age of the individual, measured in years from the date of birth.

Intelligence quotient (IQ)

Originally defined as the ratio of mental age to chronological age multiplied by 100. In contemporary tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100.

Achievement tests

Tests designed to assess what a person has learned.

Aptitude tests

Tests designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.

Standardization

Defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group.

Norming

Establishing norms or average scores for a particular group to compare individual scores to the group performance.

Normal curve

A symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean, and fewer and fewer near the extremes.

Percentile rank

The percentage of scores in a distribution that a particular score is greater than or equal to.

Reliability

The extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, alternate forms of the test, or retesting.

Test-retest reliability

The consistency of a test's results over time, measured by administering the same test to the same subjects at two different points in time.

Split-half reliability

The consistency of a test's results across two halves of the test; often measured by splitting the test into two equal halves and correlating the scores from each half.

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.

Construct validity

The extent to which a test measures the theoretical construct or trait it is intended to measure.

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.

Stereotype threat

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

Stereotype lift

The performance boost that occurs when individuals are made aware of a positive stereotype about their social group.

Fluid intelligence

The ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood.

Crystallized intelligence

The accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.