Myers, Unit 11 AP Psych - Intelligence Testing & Individual Differences

Intelligence

Mental quality; the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, & use knowledge to adapt to new situations

Intelligence test

Method for assessing individuals mental aptitudes & comparing them w/ those of others; uses numerical scores

Charles Spearman (1863-1945)

Psychologist who believed there is a general intelligence that underlies the various clusters of factor analysis

General intelligence (g)

Broad mental capacity that underlies specific mental abilities → therefore, measured by every task on an intelligence test; Most predictive in novel situations, doesn’t correlate much w/ evolutionarily familiar situations

Factor Analysis

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

L.L. Thurston

Psychologist opposed to Spearman’s theories; proposed that int. consists of 7 different primary mental abilities:

1. Word fluency

2. Verbal comprehension

3. Spatial ability

4. Perceptual speed

5. Numerical ability

6. Inductive reasoning

7. Memory

Howard Gardner

Psychologist that devised the theory of multiple intelligences

Theory of Multiple Intelligences (TMI)

Theory used to solve problems or culturally significant products; We have multiple intelligences, all of which ARE INDEPENDENT:

• Linguistic

• Mathematical-logical

• Bodily kinesthetic

• Naturalist

• Musical

• Spatial

• INTRApersonal

• INTERpersonal

Savant Syndrome

A person limited in mental ability that has an exceptional specific skill; often seen in those with autism; supports Gardner’s TMI theory

Grit

Passion & perserverance in pursuit of long-term goals

Robert Sternberg

Psychologist who devised the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence (TTI)

Theory that states there are 3 types of int. that predict real-world skills:

1. Analytical - assessed by int. tests

2. Creative - adapting to novel situations

3. Pratical - required for everyday tasks

Social Intelligence

Ability & capacity to successfully comprehend social situations

Emotional intelligence

Ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions; operates largely unconsciously, however, its effects are still observable

Gray matter

Neural cell bodies in brain; ample amount seen in intelligent people

White matter

Axons in brain; ample amount seen in intelligent people

Francis Galton

Measured human traits & attempted (but failed) to measure int.; encouraged only “smart & fit” people to reproduce; argued that success runs in families, int. is genetic

Alfred Binet

Aimed to measure mental age to predict progess in schools; argued int. is affected by environment; started the modern int.-testing movement

Lewis Terman

Revised Binet’s int. testing with the Stanford-Binet test; revealed that int. tests show int. with which a person was born, int. is inherited

Stanford-Binet Test

Widely used US revision of Binet’s original int. test; doesn’t explain for the mental age plateau in adults, therefore → less reliable for adults

Mental age

Measure of int. test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

The ratio of mental age to chronological age times 100; Mental age/Chronological age × 100; created by William Stern from Terman’s tests

Achievement Tests

Designed to assess what a person has learned; e.g. course exams or driver’s tests

Aptitude Tests

Designed to predict a person’s future performance; e.g. college entrance exam or SAT

David Wechsler

Created the most widely used int. test, the WAIS

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Contains 15 subsets in verbal & nonverbal categories; some of the subsets include similarities, vocab, block design, letter-number sequencing, etc.; yields an overall score & separate scores for every subtest

Standardization

Defining uniform testing procedures & meaningful scores via comparison with performances of a pretested representative sample

Normal Curve

A normal distribution of test scores often form this shape around the central average score; fewer & fewer scores at the extreme ends

The Flynn Effect

Phenomenon where the average IQ of humans has been steadily increasing over time; it’s cause is a mystery

Reliability

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

Validity

The extent to which a test measures/predicts what it’s supposed to

Content validity

The extent to which a test samples the behavior of interest correctly; e.g. driver’s test

Predictive validity

The success in which a test predicts the behavior its designed to predict; assessed by computing correlation between test scores & criterion behavior

Cross-sectional studies

Research at one point in time that tests & compares people & results; examine several age groups AT ONE TIME

Longitudinal Studies

Research that retests the same cohort over a period of years

Cohort

Group of people from a given time period

Crystallized intelligence

Accumulated knowledge & verbal skills; INCREASE WITH AGE

Fluid intelligence

The ability to reason speedily & abstractly; DECREASE WITH AGE & DURING LATE ADULTHOOD: beginning in 20s & 30s → slowly up to age 75 or so → then more rapidly after 85

Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation)

Developmental condition of limited ability; indicated by an int. score of 70 or below and difficulty adapting to demands of life: conceptual, social, and practical skills; condition apparent before age 18

Down syndrome

Condition of mild to severe intellectual disability; associated with physical disorders from an extra copy of chromosome 21

Heritability

The extent to which int. score variation is attributed to genes; 50-80% for intelligence

Polygenetic

Involving many genes; intelligence involves many genes, with each one contributing to less than 1% of int. variations

Carl Dweck

Psychologist; research reveals that believing int. is fixed = “fixed mindset”, and believing int. is changeable = “growth mindset”; argues that those who have this mindset tending to thrive more than those with a fixed mindset; argues that the brain strengthens with use like a muscle

Males

Better in: spatial ability, complex math, & outnumber opposite sex in low & high extremes of mental abilities

Females

Better at:

• spelling

• verbal fluency

• locating objects

• detecting emotions

• sensing

  • taste

  • touch

  • color

Group differences

Almost entirely influenced by environment

Individual differences

Almost entirely influenced by genetics

Stereotype threat

Self-confirming concern that one’ll be evaluated based on a negative stereotype; impairs attention & learning; NEGATIVITY CAN ERODE PERFORMANCE

e.g. Black students reminded of their race before an aptitude test performed worse