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Unit 7

Science Practice

  • Hypothesis Investigation:
    • Researchers examined how mindset affects beliefs about intelligence.
    • Compared those with growth mindsets versus fixed mindsets.
    • Beliefs assessed via self-report measures.
    • Growth Mindset Condition: Participants received messages on intelligence malleability.
    • Fixed Mindset Condition: Participants received messages on intelligence stability.
    • Prediction: growth mindsets lead to resilience, motivation, and better cognitive performance.

Researcher's Hypothesis

  • Growth mindset group expected to show more resilience when challenged compared to the fixed mindset group.
  • Greater resilience and motivation would result in better performance on cognitive tasks.

Review & Introduction to Intelligence

  • The unit will focus on the analysis of intelligence using intelligence inventories, and understanding intelligence & psychometric assessment.
  • The unit is extensive, flashcards are recommended.

Discussion Questions on Intelligence

  • What characteristics do you look for when ”sizing up” another person’s intelligence?
  • How would you define intelligence?
  • Who is smarter: someone good at many things vs. an expert at one specific thing?
  • What are “street smarts”?
  • Are there multiple types of intelligence?

7. 1 Activity

  • The activities are not IQ tests.
  • They assess which types of intelligence come more naturally to you.

Defining Intelligence

  • Intelligence: Ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and adapt to new situations.
  • Debate: Is intelligence a general ability (g) or comprised of multiple abilities?
  • Example: A student excels academically (algebra, essays, science), socially (reading emotions, mediating conflicts), and personally (coding apps).

g (General Intelligence)

  • g: Overarching mental ability influencing performance on cognitive tasks.
  • Analogy: General athleticism influences performance across various sports (basketball, track, soccer).
  • General intelligence is a universal set of cognitive skills impacting all mental activity.

Multiple Intelligence Theory by Howard Gardner

  • Individuals have different types of intelligence:
    • Linguistic
    • Logical-mathematical
    • Musical
    • Spatial
    • Bodily-kinesthetic
    • Interpersonal
    • Intrapersonal
    • Naturalistic
  • Example: An arts center showcases visual-spatial, musical, and naturalistic intelligences through paintings, musical performances, and environmental art workshops and activities.

Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory: CAP

  • Creative, Analytic, and Practical intelligences.

Intelligence for Success

  • General intelligence: passing tests, getting into a good school, acquire an academic skill set..
  • Grit: passion and perseverance in achieving long-term goals.
    • Successful people are conscientious, well-connected, and energetic.
  • Emotional intelligence:
    • Perceiving Emotions
    • Understanding emotions
    • Managing emotions
    • Using emotions

Savant Syndrome

  • Exceptional skill in a specific area despite limited mental ability.
    • Examples: math, memorization, music, art.
  • Most savants are male (4 in 5).
  • Many have Autism Spectrum Disorder, often with intense fixations.
  • Rain Man based on savant Kim Peek.
  • Supports the argument for multiple intelligences.

Intelligence Across Lifespan

  • Two types of intelligence:
    • Crystallized: Accumulated knowledge (vocabulary, analogies).
    • Fluid: Speedy and abstract reasoning (logic problems).
  • Crystallized intelligence increases with age.
  • Fluid intelligence decreases from 20s/30s and declines faster after 75.

Growth Mindset

  • Belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and effort.
  • Example: A student seeks help, uses resources, and analyzes mistakes, viewing challenges as opportunities for improvement.

Fixed Mindset

  • Belief that intelligence is predetermined and cannot be changed.
  • Example: A student avoids challenges, gives up easily, and doesn't seek help, believing their math ability is predetermined.

Analyzing IQ Tests

  • WAIS: Are there questions that seem to have multiple correct answers?
  • WISC: Are there questions that seem to reflect cultural backgrounds or socioeconomic status rather than intelligence?

Group Analysis of Test Questions

  • Stanford-Binet: Questions 1, 7, 8, 15, 21
  • WISC: Questions 1, 3
  • Disagreement Analysis: Is it about being wrong or a different way of thinking?

Environmental Factors

  • Stanford-Binet: Questions 2, 16
  • WISC: Questions 9, 11
  • What environmental factors might impact a child’s ability to answer these questions?

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

  • Numerical measure of cognitive abilities compared to others in the age group.
  • Mental Age: Performance level associated with a chronological age.
  • Example: An 8-year-old performs at the level of a 10-year-old, so their mental age is 10.
  • Formula: IQ = (Mental Age / Chronological Age) * 100

IQ Calculation Example

  • If a child's mental age is 10 and chronological age is 8:
    • IQ = (10 / 8) * 100 = 125
  • An IQ of 125 indicates the child is performing intellectually 25% beyond their age.
  • Modern tests use standard scores adjusted for age.

Standardization

  • Establishing consistent testing procedures and norms for psychological assessments.
  • Ensures fairness and reliability by providing a basis for comparison among test-takers.
  • Example: WAIS uses a diverse sample for baseline, controls the environment, and provides standardized instructions. Norms help interpret scores by comparing them to the baseline sample.

WAIS IQ Scores

  • Mean (average) IQ score is 100.
  • Standard deviation is 15.
  • About 68% of people have an IQ between 85 (100 - 15) and 115 (100 + 15).
  • Scores from 85 to 115 are considered average.
  • Scores below 70 (more than two standard deviations below the mean) indicate intellectual disability.
  • Scores above 130 (more than two standard deviations above the mean) indicate giftedness.

Achievement Tests

  • Assess knowledge/skills in specific areas (academics, job-related tasks).
  • Measure learned or accomplished material.
  • Example: A biology test assessing knowledge of cell biology, genetics, ecology, and human anatomy.

Aptitude Tests

  • Measure a person's potential for learning or mastering skills in the future.
  • Assess innate abilities and predict future performance.
  • Example: The SAT assesses high school students’ readiness for college-level work, measuring critical thinking and problem-solving.

Validity

  • Very Accurate, test measures what it intends to measure accurately.
  • Example: A logical reasoning test is valid if its scores correlate with other logical reasoning tests and if experts agree its questions reflect logical reasoning tasks.

Construct Validity

  • Checks if a test measures what it's supposed to measure.
  • Example: A new intelligence test for abstract thinking is construct valid if it correlates with other tests of abstract thinking and predicts success in innovative problem-solving.

Predictive Validity

  • Shows how well a test forecasts future outcomes or behaviors.
  • Example: If a college student's intelligence test score predicts their grades or graduation rate, the test has good predictive validity.

Reliability

  • Repeat Results: consistency in test results over time and among different scorers.
  • It assures that a test yields stable and dependable measurements.
  • Example: An intelligence test is reliable if scores are consistent when administered to the same group at different times.

Test-Retest Reliability

  • Assesses consistency by administering the same test to the same group twice.
  • Measures score stability over time.
  • Example: Giving an IQ test at the beginning and end of the school year; high reliability means similar scores.

Split-Half Reliability

  • Divides a test into two halves and compares scores between them.
  • Measures internal consistency by checking if both halves yield similar results.
  • Example: Dividing a 60-question intelligence test into two 30-question halves and correlating the scores.

Flynn Effect

  • Average IQ scores increasing over generations.
  • Suggests a rise in general intelligence due to environmental and cultural factors.
  • If a new group of students took the same IQ test, without any adjustments, their average scores were significantly higher than scores from when the test was created.
  • Researchers attribute this phenomenon to various factors including improved education, better nutrition, and increased complexity in daily life through technology and problem-solving demands.

Stereotype Threat

  • Underperformance in situations where individuals feel at risk of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group.
  • Example: If a group of students believe that their race is less intelligent, those students might perform worse on the IQ test.

Stereotype Lift

  • Individuals from stereotypically advantaged groups perform better on tests due to the positive expectations associated with their group.
  • Example: Students from privileged backgrounds may perform better because of assumed intelligence.

Intelligence Unmeasured: Critical Analysis

  • ”The Miseducation of Larry P” from Radiolab's “G” series examines IQ testing, racial biases, and educational policies.

Formative Multiple-Choice Practice Questions

  • Question 1: The correct answer is (A) The Flynn Effect.
  • Question 2: The correct answer is (B) Stereotype Threat.
  • Question 3: The correct answer is (C) Aptitude Test.
  • Question 4: The correct answer is (A) Growth Mindset.
  • Question 5: The correct answer is (B) Reliability.

Science Practice: Ethical Procedures

  • Ethical consideration implemented to uphold rights and well-being of study participants.
    *Standardized cognitive assessments were performed across various cognitive domains.

Ethical Procedures

  • Obtaining informed consent: Participants received comprehensive information about the study's purpose, procedures, potential risks, and their rights. This ensured voluntary and informed decisions.
  • Ensuring confidentiality: Participants were assured that their data would be kept confidential, safeguarding privacy and anonymity.
  • Minimizing distress: Measures were in place to minimize potential psychological or emotional distress, demonstrating concern for well-being

Claim Challenge: Intelligence Testing

  • Develop and justify an argument on whether intelligence testing accurately reflects cognitive abilities.
    • Claim: Your position on whether the test is accurate.
    • Evidence: Supporting facts for your claim.
    • Reasoning: Logical explanation for your claim.

Science Practice: Data Collection

  • Determine whether the question is collecting quantitative or qualitative data.
  • Qualitative and quantitative data were collected
    • variety, uniqueness, and originality of the participants' ideas as qualitative data.
    • the participants' verbal explanations and thought processes as qualitiative data.

Introduction to Cognition

  • This unit builds on biological insights, emphasizing memory, perception, and cognitive processes like thought and problem-solving.
  • Introduces memory improvement strategies and achievement assessments.
  • Links perception with biological sensations.
  • Foundational for discussions on cognitive development.

What is Metacognition?

  • Metacognition: Thinking about one's own thinking processes.
  • Example: Student assesses their understanding, identifies areas of confusion, and creates a study plan tailored to their needs.

Executive Functions

  • Executive Functions: Cognitive processes that allow individuals to generate, organize, plan, and carry out goal-directed behaviors and experience critical thinking.
  • High school student organizing a community cleanup event:
    • Generating Ideas: The student generates the idea to organize a cleanup event
    • Organizing: The student outlines what needs to be done in order to plan for the event
      *Planning: The student plans for the event by setting a date, securing a location,
      *Carrying Out Goal-Directed Behaviors: The student takes active steps to execute the plan
      *Critical Thinking: assessing what is working and what isn’t, making adjustments as needed.

Prototypes

  • Prototypes: Mental image/best example of a category that aids in recognizing and categorizing objects/concepts.
    Example: