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Unit 11: Testing and Individual Differences (60: Introduction to…
Unit 11: Testing and Individual Differences
60: Introduction to Intelligence
intelligence: mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations
intelligence test: a method for assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores
Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities?
general intelligence (g): a general intelligence factor that, according to Spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test
factor analysis: a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test
Spearman: g factor
Thurstone's seven intelligences
savant syndrome: a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional special skill
Gardner: multiple intelligences or "islands of intelligence"
grit: passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals
Sternbergs Three Intelligences: analytical intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence
Emotional Intelligence: the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions
Is Intelligence Neurologically Measureable?
little correlation between brain sizing and intelligence
64: Group Differences and the Question of Bias
Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores
the genders are identical in terms of g factor
experience matters!
racial groups differ in their average intelligence test scores
high-scoring people are more likely to attain high levels of education and income
The Question of Bias
there are genetically disposed race differences in intelligence
there are socially influenced race differences in intelligence
there are race differences in test scores, but the tests are inappropriate or biased
stereotype threat: a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative sterotype
63: Studying Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence
Twin and Adoption Studies
heritability: the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes
twins have brains with similar function and build
intelligence is genetic
Environmental Influences
Early Environmental Influences
extreme deprivation was bludgeoning native intelligence
poor environments can depress cognitive development
Schooling and Intelligence
Genes and experience make intelligence
Dweck: "intelligence is biologically set and leads to a fixed mindset"
61: Assessing Intelligence
The Origins of Intelligence Testing
Francis Galton (1822-1911)
Alfred Binet: studied mental age in French school systems
mental age: the measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level performance
Lewis Terman: found Paris-developed questions and norms did not suit American systems; made the American revision called the Stanford-Binet
William Stern: derived the intelligence quotient
intelligence quotient (IQ): the average performance for a given age assigned to a score of 100; scores assigned to relative performance above or below average
Modern Tests of Mental Abilities
achievement tests: tests designed to assess what a person has learned
aptitude test: a test designed to predict a person's future performance
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS): most widely used intelligence test; verbal and performance subtests
Principles of Test Construction
Standardization
normal curve: the symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes
defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group
Flynn Effect: as tests become more standardized, tests scores increase
Reliability
the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the 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 or predicts what it is supposed to
content validity: the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest
predictive validity: the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict
62: The Dynamics of Intelligence
Stability or Change?
Phase 1: cross-sectional studies: when researchers at one point in time test and compare people of various ages
found that mental ability decreases with the general aging process
Phase 2: longitudinal studies: testing the same cohort over a period of years
cohort: a group of people from a given time period
found that intelligence remains stable and even increases
Phase 3: it all depends
crystallized intelligence: our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; increases with age
fluid intelligence: our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood
by age 4, intelligence tests begin to predict their adolescent and adult scores
Extremes of Intelligence
the low extreme
intellectual disability: a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life
down syndrome: a condition of mild to severe intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21