Intelligence

1. Intelligence What makes us smart? Or not so smart?

2. Top 10 facts about IQ • School attendance correlates with IQ • IQ is not influenced by birth order • IQ is related to breast feeding • IQ varies by birth date • IQ evens out with age • Intelligence is plural not singular • IQ is correlated with head size • Intelligence scores are predictive of real-world outcomes • IQ is going up • IQ may be related to the school cafeteria menu!

3. Intelligence • Intelligence – a mental ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations. • Socially constructed - defined according to the attributes that enable success in a culture • Example: problem solving that demonstrates school smarts According to this definition, are both Einstein and Ruth intelligent?

4. Intelligence Tests • Intelligence Test – a method of assessing mental aptitudes and comparing them with others • Reification – converting something abstract into a material thing • Example: claiming I’m gifted because I have an IQ of 145

5. Theories of Intelligence • 5Theories: • g-intelligence (Spearman) • Thurstone’s primary mental abilities • Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence • Sternberg’s Three Intelligences • Emotional Intelligence

6. G factor (Spearman) • General Intelligence (G)- a general intelligence that underlies successful performance on a wide variety of tasks. • measured with a single numerical score • Example - People who score above ave. on math aptitude tests also score high on verbal aptitude • The Stanford-Binet, WAIS, and WISC • Factor analysis – statistical procedure used to identify clusters of closely related test items. • Used to assess whether intelligence is a single trait or a collection of several distinct abilities (G intelligence uses factor analysis)

7. Thurstone’s Primary Mental Abilities • Thurstone challenged Spearman - identified 7 clusters of mental ability • Word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability inductive reasoning and memory • Provides evidence for g intelligence • Later found that those who excelled in one of Thurstone's seven primary mental abilities also demonstrated high levels of competence in other abilities

8. Howard Gardner and Multiple Intelligences • Gardner believed that there are 8 different types of intelligences. • Linguistic • Logical-mathematical • Spatial • Musical • Body-kinesthetic • Intrapersonal • Interpersonal • Naturalist • Example • Savant Syndrome – a person who demonstrates an exceptional specific mental skill, but is otherwise limited in intellectual capability

9. Triarchic Theory (Sternberg) • Most commonly accepted theory today. • Threetypes of intelligence • Analytical - ability to analyze and evaluate ideas, solve problems and make decisions. • Example: A student who solve a math problem in record time 2. Creative - going beyond what is given to generate novel and interesting ideas • Example: Writing a short story when given the title “The Octopus’s Sneakers” 3. Practical - ability that individuals use to find the best fit between themselves and the demands of the environment. • Example: Business woman who can write effectively, motivate people, delegate tasks and promote her career

10. EQ – Emotional Quotient • Social Intelligence – the ability to comprehend social situations and managing yourself successfully • Emotional Intelligence – ability to perceive, understand, manage and use emotions • 4 components • Perceive emotions • Understand emotions • Manage emotions • Use emotions • Example: Someone who frequently looses their temper (not saying any names…) • Criticism – stretches concept of intelligence too far

11. Think Pair Share • Although Susan is a brilliant pianist and highly acclaimed ballet dancer, her high school intelligence test scores were only average. What does Susan's experience suggest regarding the nature of intelligence

12. Brain Size and IntelligenceIs there a link? • Head Size - +.15 correlation between head size and intelligence scores (relative to body size). • Brain size - +.33 correlation • Einstein’s Brian • 15% larger in parietal lobe • Math and spatial info

13. Brain Size and Complexity • Higher performing brains: • use less glucose • have more synapses • Increased neural plasticity • more gray matter (cell body) in areas involved in memory attention language

15. BBrain Function • Perceptual Speed – take in perceptual images at greater speed • + 3-+5 correlation • Neurological speed • Fast reaction on simple tasks (flash of light, beeped tone) • Retrieve info from memory at high speeds

16. Assessing Intelligence • Frances Galton – intellectual superiority was inherited • Measured muscular power, sensory acuity, and body proportions • Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon • mental age- what a person of a particular age should know. Wanted to eliminate teacher bias and help children, not label them. • Example: 10 year old with an intellectual performance of an 8 year old: Mental Age = 8

17. Stanford-Binet (Terman) • Used Binet’s research to construct the modern day IQ test called the Stanford-Binet Test. • IQ logical age X 100. • A 8 year old has a mental age of 10, what is her IQ? • A 12 year old has the mental age of 9, what is his IQ? • A boy has the mental age of 10 and an IQ of 200, how old is he?

18. Problems with the IQ Formula If a 60 year old woman does as well as an average 29 year old then her IQ would be _______? Ok, ok…an average 35 year old? Then her IQ would be_________? Still makes no sense!!!!! • It does not really work well on adults, why? • Terman assigned a mental age of 20 for all adults to fix this problem

19. The Normal Curve and Stanford-Binet IQ Scores Your score represents your performance relative to the average performance (ave = 100) of others the same age 1 Standard deviation = ? IQs less than 70 = mental disability. More than 130 = gifted

20. Table 6.2 Sample Items from the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, Form L–M The older the test taker is, the more the test requires in the way of verbal comprehension and fluency. Age Task 4 Fills in the missing word when asked, “Brother is a boy; sister is a .” Answers correctly when asked, “Why do we have houses?” 9 Answers correctly when examiner says, “In an old graveyard in Spain they have discovered a small skull which they believe to be that of Christopher Columbus when he was about 10 years old.” What is foolish about that? Examiner presents folded paper; child draws how it will look unfolded. 12 Completes “The streams are dry . . . there has been little rain.” Tells what is foolish about statements such as “Bill Jones’s feet are so big that he has to put his trousers on over his head.” Adult Can describe the difference between misery and poverty, character and reputation, laziness and idleness. Explains how to measure 3 pints of water with a 5-pint and a 2-pint can.

21. Wechsler Tests • More common • Does not use the formula but uses the same scoring system. • WAIS • WISC • WPPSI

22. Modern Tests of Mental Abilities • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)consists of 11 verbal and performance subtests • Assesses Adult intelligence • verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, working memory, and processing speed scores, as well as an overall intelligence score • Uses factor analysis • A low or high score in one area can indicate a cognitive weakness or strength • i.e. low verbal comprehension = reading disability • WISC– tests children’s intelligence • Performance tests - Object assembly, picture arrangement, and block design, digit span, vocabulary

23. Wechler Adult Intelligence Scale

24. WISC

25. Aptitude A test designed to predict a person’s future performance. Ability for a person to learn a new skill. Example: Achievement A test designed to assess what a person has learned (knowledge and skills) Example: Aptitude v. Achievement Tests

26. Constructing Intelligence Tests • Standardized - a person's test performance can be compared with that of a representative pretested group (that has established a mean for the test) • How would you standardize the AP Psych Exam?. • Example: Give AP exam questions to a representative sample of high school and college psychology students in order to be able to compare scores of test-takers to this standardization group • Reliable: Test-Retest, Split-halves Methods. • Validity: Content, Predictive or Construct.

27. Normal Bell Curve • Standardized tests form a normal distribution or bell curve • Few people deviate extremely from the ave. • more than 2 standard deviations from the mean • Examples: • Height, weight and intelligence (WISC, WAIS, Standford-Binet) scores all form a normal bell curve • AP Exam scores also fall on a normal curve – few students scoring 1 and 5, many students scoring 2, 3, 4

28. The Flynn Effect • Performance on IQ scores has steadily increased over generations • Environmental factors NOT genetics • Reduction in malnutrition • Access to schooling • Technological advances • To avoid: need up to date standardization samples

29. Reliability • Reliability - The extent which a test yields consistent results over time. • Spilt halves- administering 2 halves of the test items on a single test to two different groups and comparing scores • Ex. - giving even numbered questions to one group and odd numbers to another and comparing results • test–retest method – administering the test more than once to a standardization group • How would you insure the AP Psych Exam is reliable using split halves? Using the test-retest method? • Ex – Giving the AP Exam to the same group twice and comparing the results

30. Validity Validity - the extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure. • Content Validity: does the test sample the behavior of interest • Examples: • AP test measures relevant psychology content by showing test items to psychology professors • Unit 11 exam has few questions about Intelligence – no content validity • Predictive Validity: does the test predict future behavior. • Aptitude tests have stronger validity in early school years, but weaken in later school years. Why? • How would test whether the AP Psych exam is valid? • Examples: • AP test scores reflect similar college grades by giving the test to both high school and college students and comparing the scores to the college students grades • IF AP midterm exam was compared to scores on AP Exam and did not have similar scores – no predictive validity

31. Think Pair Share • Assume you are going to develop a new test to predict job success for aspiring novelists. Explain how you would attempt to accomplish each of the following in the new test: • Content Validity • Predictive Validity • Standardization • Reliability

32. Think Pair Share • Assume you are going to develop a new test to predict job success for aspiring pilots. Define each of the following and explain how you would attempt to accomplish each of the following in the new test: • Standardization • Reliability • Content Validity • Predictive Validity

33. Intelligence Change Over Time • Infant intelligence – indicator is preference for looking at • By age 4 - a child’s IQ can predict adolescent IQ scores. • By age 7 - intelligence scores begin to stabilize and consistency increases with age • predictive validity of general aptitude tests decrease as the educational experience of students increases • Ex. Correlation lowest between GRE and graduate students • Depends on the type of intelligence, crystallized or fluid.

34. What is fluid intelligence? • Our ability to learn new things fast and abstractly (decreases with age)

35. What is crystallized intelligence? • Old people intelligence - accumulated knowledge and verbal skills (increases with age

36. Extremes of Intelligence • Akrit Jaswal

37. The Low Extreme • Intellectual disability – both a low test score and difficulty adapting to independent living • Mental retardation • Down syndrome – people born with an extra 21st chromosome • Mainstreamed – regular and least restrictive classrooms

38. Classifications of Intellectual Disability

39. The High Extreme • Terman’s study of gifted • children were healthy, well adjusted, academically successful • Self-fulfilling prophecy • can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy by implicitly labeling some students as “ungifted” and isolating them from an enriched educational environment. • Appropriate developmental placement • Tracking students • widens the achievement gap between higher- and lower-ability groups.

40. Twin and Adoption Studies • Genes and Environmental influences • Identical twin studies • scores more similar for identical twins raised apart than siblings or fraternal twins raised together (genetic) • scores more dissimilar for identical twins raised apart than together (environmental) • Polygenetic Trait- different chromosomal regions important to intelligence have been identified • Adoptive children studies • Over time adoptive children’s IQ ‘s become less positively correlated with adoptive parents and more positively correlated with biological parents

41. Heritability • Heritability of Intelligence – the % of variation in intelligence within a group that is attributed to genetic factions (50%) • Example: • Greatest in genetically dissimilar individuals who have been raised in similar environments.

42. Correlation of Intelligence

43. Environmental Influences • Early environmental influences • Intellectual developmental delays • Tutored human enrichment – trained caregivers to imitate babies’ babbling • Mozart effect – now discounted finding that intelligence is boosted by listening to classical music • Schooling and intelligence • Project Head Start • Reduces likelihood that students will repeat grades or require special ed.

44. Ian and Nolan are identical twins who were adopted into different families shortly after birth. Use what you know about the stability of intelligence over time and the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to predict how similar Ian and Nolan's IQ scores will be at age 5 and age at 25.

45. Gender Differences in Intelligence Test Scores • Girls • Spelling • Verbal ability • Nonverbal ability • Sensation – taste touch, odor • Emotion detecting ability • Math and spatial aptitudes identical • Boys • Math problem solving • Higher SAT • Go into math fields • Play chess • Spatial abilities

46. Ethnic Differences in Intelligence Test Scores • Similarities • Infant intelligence • Black and white babies are similar • Differences • Ave. intelligence scores • Blacks – 85 • Whites – 100 • Math abilities • Sweden/Iceland – no gender gap • Turkey/Korea – large gender gap • Asians outperform North American’s on math and aptitude tests

47. The Question of Bias • Two meanings of bias • Popular sense – biased if test performance is influenced by cultural experiences (i.e. biased against blacks) • Scientific sense – biased if predictive validity is not same for all groups • Test-taker’s expectations • Stereotype threat - Perform worse if feel apprehensive because of stereotypes • Feel you are evaluated based on a negative stereotype • Example: women perform lower on math tests because they feel apprehensive about test bias toward men.