AP Psych 2.8abcd

Intelligence

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

General Intelligence

Supporters argue that intelligence is a single, general ability that can be accurately measured with a single test (like an IQ test). They emphasize that cognitive tasks are often correlated, and a single factor (g) can explain this correlation.

Multiple Intelligences

Advocates of multiple intelligences argue that intelligence is far more complex and diverse than a single factor. They emphasize that people excel in different domains, and traditional intelligence tests fail to capture the full range of human abilities. Intelligence is seen as contextual and multifaceted, with each person possessing unique strengths.

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.

Fluid intelligence (Gf)

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease with age, especially during late adulthood.  

Crystallized intelligence (Gc):

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

Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory

the theory that our intelligence is based on g as well as specific abilities, bridged by Gf and Gc.

Savant syndrome

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing.

Grit

in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals.

Analytical Intelligence

Problem-solving abilities and logical reasoning.

Creative Intelligence

The ability to deal with novel situations and think outside the box.

Practical Intelligence

The ability to adapt to, shape, and select environments to meet personal goals (often referred to as “street smarts”).

Emotional Intelligence

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions. 

Intelligence test

a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores. 

• It measures how your brain works and shows the results with a number.

Achievement test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

Aptitude test

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

• figures out your strengths and potential for future success

Mental Age

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age. Thus, a child who does as well as an average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8.

Stanford-Binet

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

Intelligence quotient (IQ)

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (thus, IQ = ma/ca x 100).  On contemporary tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

the WAIS and it companion versions for children are the most widely used intelligence test; they contain verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests.

Psychometrics

the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits.

Standardization

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

• making sure a test is given the same way to everyone and that the scores mean something

Normal Curve

the bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes. 

Flynn effect

the rise in intelligent test performance over time and across cultures.

Reliability

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

Validity

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it’s supposed to

• measures what it’s suppose to measure

Content Validity

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest.

Construct Validity

refers to how well a test or measurement tool actually measures the theoretical construct it is intended to measure. In other words, it assesses whether the test accurately reflects the underlying concept or theory it is supposed to represent.

Predictive Validity

the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict future performance

Cross-sectional Study

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time.

Longitudinal study

research that follows and retests the same people over time.

Cohort

a group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as being from a given time period. 

Growth mindset

a focus on learning and growing rather than viewing abilities as fixed.

Fixed mindset

the view that intelligences, abilities, and talents are unchangeable, even with effort.

Stereotype Threat

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