Intelligence

1. Intelligence

2. What is Intelligence? • The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

3. Is intelligence one general ability… • Charles Spearman believed we have General Intelligence (often shortened to g), a general intelligence factor that underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test. • An intelligence test is a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, suing numerical scores. • The idea of g was very controversial back in the day and still is. • Spearman helped develop Factor Analysis, a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items.

4. Or Not? • One of Spearman’s early components was L.L. Thurstone. Thurstone gave 56 different tests to people and mathematically identified several clusters of primary mental abilities. (word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning, and memory). He did not rate them on a single scale of aptitude. • However, there are some people who score well on one sort of cognitive test and score well on another. Could this be because over time different abilities interact and feed one another. • (ex: a speedy runner’s throwing ability improves after being engaged in sports that develop both running and throwing abilities.)

5. Theories of multiple intelligence • Gardner’s Eight Intelligences • Howard Gardner viewed intelligence as multiple abilities that come in packagaes. • Savant Syndrome is a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing.About 4 in 5 people with savant syndrome are males, and many also have autism. • Argument: we do not have an intelligence but rather multiple intelligences.

7. Sternberg’s three intelligences • Robert Sternberg believes there is more to success than traditional intelligence and proposes a triarchic theory of three intelligences. • Analytical – (academic problem solving) is assessed by intelligence tests, which present well defined problems, having one single right answer. These tests predict school grades. • Creative – demonstrated in reacting adaptively to novel situations and generating novel ideas. • Practical – required for everyday tasks (street smart)

8. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence

9. What Factors Determine Intelligence? In addition to disagreements about the basic nature of intelligence, psychologists have spent a great amount of time and energy debating the various influences on individual intelligence. This then brings up the commonly referenced debate/topic of “Nature vs. Nurture”.

10. A Quick Overview of Nature vs. Nurture The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. The debate centers on the relative contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development. Simply put in relation to the unit; its the debate as to whether our predisposed genetics, or the social environment we grow up in, effects our intelligence more.

11. Nature vs. Nurture among Similarity of Intelligence Scores On the front of Nature, twin studies show that genetics do play a major part in revealing similarities in intelli- gence. However, this same graph shows that separation can create enough of a lower correlation for one to recognize its impact. Also, you see the dramatic difference between identical and fraternal twins. With two identical twins reared apart showing more of a similarity than fraternal twins who have been together.

12. The many effects of “Nurture” on Intelligence • There are many facets to the Nurture side that can affect intelligence, from breast feeding, to diet. Whether biological, or socio-cultural. • Some examples: • Children who are breastfed during the first three to five months of life score higher on IQ tests at age 6 than same-age children who were not breastfed (Reinberg, 2008). • Proper nutrition is especially critical in the early stages of life, as it establishes a base-line for further intellectual development. Malnutrition can disrupt neural connections and pathways, and leave a person unable to recover mentally. • stress can put undue pressure on the development of a human body such that it can cause irreparable damage. • an encouraging home-life that is conducive to learning has a direct effect on intelligence test scores. • There are many other examples, but they break down generally into two major parts…… • http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/biological-bases-of-intelligence.html#lesson

13. Early Interaction and Schooling The two major points in which the social aspect of nurture……. Early Interaction is very self explanatory and very obvious as to why it is important, this is the early stages of childhood and infancy. Where a healthy, stress-free, environment with consistent loving, human interaction is present. Lack of this, or the exact opposite, i.e. abuse or malnutrition, can have dangerous life long negative effects on one's intelligence. Schooling works under the same principle. A child needs a consistent education where their mind is nurtured and given experience for a majority of their young life. Where they can work with peers, solve problems, and be independant. This is evident when someone who is given an education at a young age is much older, is then compared to someone who wasn't given that opportunity.

14. Final thoughts on Nature vs. Nurture Overall, the debate between the two falls somewhere in the middle when concerning itself with the development of intelligence (with a slight tip towards Nature in sibling similarities). Heredity is only credited towards 50% of the variation in intelligence, giving the other half to the countless social-cultural aspects one is faced with through early life. You cant have one without the other, for instance, if you are born with a large capacity to be very intelligent and successful, but your childhood and home life leading up to that was very bad, chances are, you will struggle getting to where you need to be.

15. Review • What affects intelligence more? Nature, Nurture, or a combination of the two? • How much does Heritability count towards variation in intelligence?

16. Unit 11 (C)Assessing Intelligence

17. Do Now What are some ways that psychologists can test a person’s intelligence? Are these methods credible?

18. History of Intelligence Tests -Western philosophy is fundamentally different from Eastern philosophy due to its focus on the individual rather than the group -Plato: “No two persons are born exactly alike; but each differs from the other in natural endowments, one being suited for one occupation and the other for another.” -Einstein: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it'll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

19. Francis Galton -Francis Galton (1822-1911), inspired by his cousin Charles Darwin's theory, wondered if “natural ability” could be measured and bred -He devised a test based on such traits as reaction time, sensory activity, muscular power, and body proportion -His test of over 10,000 people in 1884 generated no results which correlated -He gave future intelligence testers some statistical techniques & coined nature & nurture

20. The Modern Intelligence Test - Modern intelligence tests began around the turn of the century, when French children became required to attend school - Teachers needed to see what areas the students needed help in, as well as an unbiased way to divide the children up

21. Binet and Simon - The French government hired Alfred Binet in 1904, and together with collaborator Théodore Simon, he set about devising a test - Binet and Simon assumed that all people advance along the same path, and intellectual differences are due to different speeds along the path - Their goal therefore became measuring a child's mental age, or the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance

22. Binet's Test After Death - Binet's test was developed to identify kids needing special attention, not measure modern intelligence, yet he feared they would be used in that way to limit children's opportunities - After his death in 1911, others began adapting his test to numerically measure inherited intellect - Lewis Terman (1877-1956) altered & expanded Binet's test into the Stanford-Binet Test

23. Intelligence Quotient - Using Terman's test among others, German psychologist William Stern derived the famous IQ test (PIC OF IQ EQUATION) - This measurement worked well for kids but not adults, where mental age did not differ as drastically - More modern tests relate test takers' performances to each other rather than to a standard - Terman promoted these tests for eugenics

24. Intelligence Tests & the US - The US government used these tests for judging immigrants and WWI recruits - Due to the tests favoring of Western (American) culture and education, along with the test's inaccuracies, Southern and Eastern Europeans received lower scores, adding to the US's immigration restrictions and negative social feelings and opinions towards immigrants - Many former supporters were horrified at what the tests had become - This showed that science is often value-laden

25. Achievement vs Aptitude - Achievement Test – a test designed to assess what a person has learned;current performance (Ex. Unit test) - Aptitude Test – a test designed to predict a person's future performance (Ex. SAT) - Howard Gardner - Both kinds of tests are influenced by the other

27. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - David Wechsler created WAIS, the most used intelligence test at the moment - Consists of 11 subtests broken into verbal and performance areas - It yields an overall score as well as separate verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, working memory, and processing speed - Differences in these areas can aid therapists, psychologists, teachers, etc. in building up weak areas - wechsleradultintelligencescale.com

28. The Flynn Effect - Average intelligence has increased from a 76, by todays standards, in the 1930's - This phenomenon, called the Flynn effect for James Flynn who discovered it, is worldwide - No one knows why exactly this occurs - The results are counter-hereditarian; the lower class has increased more and still intelligence has gone up

30. Test Construction Criteria - Tests must be standardized, reliable, and valid (the Stanford-Binet and WAIS meet these) - Standardized scores, or scores made meaningful by comparing them with the performance of the pretested group, distribute over a bell or normal curve - To keep scores standard at 100 the tests are periodically restandardized; right now you would be compared to testers in 1996, not those in the first test in the 1930's

32. Reliability - Reliability – the extent to which a test yields consistent results - This is tested by retesting people or scoring them on two halves of the same test - The Stanford-Binet, WAIS, and WISC all have reliability of about +.9, which is very reliable

33. Validity - 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; assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior

34. Predictable Validity - Predictability is good from 6-12 (+.6) but gets worse as testers get older (SAT <+.5) - This is because correlation becomes negligible the narrowed the range gets

36. Review - What do intelligence tests measure? - What are the criteria for a good intellect test? - Explain the difference between achievement tests and aptitude tests

37. The Dynamics of Intelligence

40. Intellectual Disability • Generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors. • Also known as mental retardation • Down Syndrome • A genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is typically associated with physical growth delays, characteristic facial features and mild to moderate intellectual disability. • IQ of a young adult with Down syndrome is 50, similar to the mental age of an 8 or 9 year old child, but this varies widely

41. Stability or Change • Psychologists have yet to see how intelligence will change over time. • infants who quickly grow bored with a picture and prefer to look at a new one, score higher on tests of brain speed and intelligence up to 21 years later. • Casual observation and intelligence before age 3 only modestly predict children’s future aptitudes. • Children who begin to speak before about age 3 are not especially likely to be reading by age 4 ½ • By age 4, children’s performances on intelligence tests begin to predict their adolescent and adult scores. Higher scoring adolescents tend to have been earlier readers. Intelligence tests given to 5 year olds do predict school achievement. • By age 7 intelligence test scores stabilize. The consistency of scores over time increases with age of the child

43. in 1932, Ian Deary, gave virtually every child born in 1921 (87,496 children) intelligence tests. He wanted to identify the working class children who would benefit from further education. Then, intelligence tests were then administered to 542 adults who were still alive from the original study. • higher scoring 11 year olds were more likely to be living independently as 77 year olds and were less likely to have suffered late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. • 93 nuns were tested and were confronted that those exhibiting less verbal ability in essays written when entering their convent in their teens were more at risk for Alzheimer’s disease after age 75.

44. Extremes of Intelligence • Low Extreme • Fall at 70 or below (mental retardation, low test score and difficulty adapting to the norms) • only 1% of the population has mental retardation, more males than females • The Flynn effect, the tests have been periodically restandardized.

46. High Extreme • Above 130 • In 1921, Lewis Terman, studied 1500 school children with IQs over 135 and found that intellectually gifted children were healthy, well-adjusted, and unusually successful academically. • 13 year olds who placed in the 1% of the SAT math section, at age 33, were twice as likely to have patents as were those in the bottom 1% • Jean Piaget by age 7 was devoting his free time to studying birds, fossils, and machines; by age 15, was publishing scientific articles.

47. http://www.test-my-iq.com/en-us/iqtest/27 http://www.free-iqtest.net/iq.asp