Intelligence 🧠

Intelligence

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

General Intelligence

underlies all mental abilities and is therefore 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

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

social intelligence

the ability to understand and manage human relationships, including the ability to understand the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of others

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

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

collectivism

a cultural orientation where group goals and the interdependence of societal members are prioritized over individual goals and independence

individualism

a psychological and cultural orientation that emphasizes individual autonomy, independence, and self-reliance over group goals and harmony

eugenics

a pseudoscientific movement to improve the human race through selective breeding.

mental age

a measure of intelligence test performance; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age, thus a child who does as well as an average 8-year0old is said to have a mental age of 8

stanford-binet

the widely used american revision 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 (IQ=ma/ca x 100). On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100

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

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 extreme

flynn effect

the rise in intelligence test performances 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 is supposed to

content validity

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

construct validity

how much a test measures a concept or trait

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

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 intelligence, abilities, and talents are unchangeable, even with effort

stereotype threat

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