Intelligence

1. Intelligence A.P. Psych Information adapted from: http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/millikan/Teacher_folder/HawkinsS/AdPlPsychology2.htm

2. Origins of Intelligence Testing • Intelligence Test • a method of assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them to those of others, using numerical scores

3. Origins of Intelligence Testing • Mental Age • a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet • chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance • child who does as well as the average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8

4. Origins of Intelligence Testing • Stanford-Binet • the widely used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence test • revised by Terman at Stanford University • Terman added items to measure adult intelligence • He also revised a method of scoring by developing the IQ or intelligence quotient • From this method of scoring came the IQ Test

5. Origins of Intelligence Testing • Intelligence Quotient (IQ) • defined originally the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 • IQ = ma/ca x 100) • on contemporary tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100

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

7. Assessing Intelligence • Aptitude Test • a test designed to predict a person’s future performance • aptitude is the capacity to learn • Achievement Test • a test designed to assess what a person has learned • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) • most widely used intelligence test • subtests • verbal • performance (nonverbal)

8. Assessing Intelligence • Standardization • defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested “standardization group” • Normal Curve • the symmetrical 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

9. Getting Smarter?

10. The Normal Curve

11. Assessing Intelligence • Reliability • the extent to which a test yields consistent results • assessed by consistency of scores on: • two halves of the test • alternate forms of the test • retesting • Validity • the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

12. Reliability v. Validity

13. Reliability and Validity of IQ Tests • Reliability: • Problem before age 7. • For teenagers and adults, reliability is high. • Validity: • Can only be assessed for specific purposes. • Reasonably good for predicting success in school and many occupations.

14. Assessing Intelligence • Content Validity • the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest • driving test that samples driving tasks • Criterion • behavior (such as college grades) that a test (such as the SAT) is designed to predict • the measure used in defining whether the test has predictive validity

15. Assessing Intelligence • Evidence about a test’s validity: • Content validity • Criterion validity • Predictive validity • Construct validity • Concurrent validity

16. Genetic Influences

17. Genetic Influences • Heritability • the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes • variability depends on range of populations and environments studied

18. Genetic Influences

19. Understanding Intelligence • Psychometric Approach – emphasizes the products of intelligence (IQ scores) • Spearman’s g: scores on almost all tests of cognitive abilities were positively correlated • g = cognitive ability, s = special intelligences • Thurstone: factor analysis – found seven independent primary mental abilities • Cattell: two types of g • Fluid intelligence – reasoning & problem solving • Crystallized intelligence – specific knowledge gained as a result of fluid intelligence

20. Understanding Intelligence • Information-Processing Approach – analyzes the process of intelligent behavior rather than the product • Applies the basic mental processes of perception, learning, memory, and thought to the concept of intelligence

21. Understanding Intelligence • Triarchic Theory – Sternberg • 3 kinds of intelligences: • Analytic – problem solving, measured by IQ tests • Creative – composing music, art • Practical – survival skills • Broadens the concept of intelligence and emphasizes what it means in everyday life

22. Understanding Intelligence • Multiple Intelligences – Gardner • Linguistic • Logical-mathematical • Spatial • Musical • Body-kinesthetic • Intrapersonal • Interpersonal • Naturalistic

23. Diversity in Cognitive Abilities • Creativity – the ability to produce new, high-quality ideas or products • Divergent thinking – the ability to think along many paths to generate many solutions to a problem • 3 kinds of cognitive and personality characteristics necessary for creativity: • Expertise • Set of creative skills • Motivation • No strong correlation b/w IQ and creativity scores • Creativity requires divergent thinking and IQ tests assess convergent thinking (the ability to apply logic to narrow down the # of possible solutions)

24. Unusual Cognitive Abilities • Giftedness – • high IQs • don’t necessarily share same cognitive abilities • Have more of the basic cognitive abilities seen in all children • Mental Retardation • IQ less than 70 and who fail to display skill at daily living and communication • Down syndrome – extra chromosome • Fragile X syndrome –defect on chromosome 23 • Environmental conditions – head injury, exposure to alcohol or toxins • Familial retardation • Deficient in metacognition

25. The Dynamics of Intelligence

26. Unusual Cognitive Abilities (con’t) • Learning Disabilities • Dyslexia – letters appear disjointed or jumbled • Dysphasia – difficulty understanding spoken words or recalling words • Dysgraphia – problems with writing • Dyscalculia – difficulty with arithmetic