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Intelligence. intelligence: usually defined as the ability to profit from experience, acquired knowledge, think abstractly, act purposefully, and/or adapt to changes in the environment. Theories of Intelligence.
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Intelligence • intelligence: usually defined as the ability to profit from experience, acquired knowledge, think abstractly, act purposefully, and/or adapt to changes in the environment.
Theories of Intelligence • Spearman’s g-factor: a general intellectual ability assumed by many theorists to underlie specific mental abilities and talents • Cattell’s clusters • crystallized intelligence: abilities like reasoning and verbal and numerical skills • highly influenced by experience and formal education • fluid intelligence: visual and spatial imagery, rote memory. • less influenced by experience and education
Theories of Intelligence • Howard Gardener • theory of multiple intelligence proposes that intelligence comprises many separate abilities each of which is relatively independent of each other. • Types of intelligence: Logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal
Intelligence Tests • Alfred Binet • Memory, vocabulary, and perceptual discrimination • IQ “intelligence quotient”: a measure of intelligence originally computed by dividing a person’s mental age by his or her chronological age and multiplying by 100
Intelligence Tests • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children • divided into two parts: verbal and performance • Vocabulary, spatial, speed, similarities, information • 68% of population has IQ scores between 85 and 115. • 95% of population has IQ scores between 70 and 130.
Criticisms of IQ tests • Content- tests assess ability in only a very narrow range of skills • passive verbal understanding, ability to follow instructions; common sense; scholastic aptitude • Tests test ability to take tests • close correlation between IQ scores and school performance • stereotype threat: a burden of doubt a person feels about his or her performance, due to negative stereotypes about his or her group’s abilities.
Criticisms of IQ tests • bias against minorities • require mastery of English • questions are culturally based • Speed • used inappropriately • don’t measure motivation, emotion, and attitude which affects performance in life • Study by Terman which followed 1500 of top 1% of IQ scores • most differences attributable to motivation
Contributing factors: heredity • Heredity- intelligence is partly inherited • correlation between monozygotic twins reared together very high • correlation between monozygotic twins reared apart also high • higher than siblings reared together • However, monozygotic twins share similar environment because adoption agencies tend to match environments and they also shared same prenatal environment
Contributing factors: environment • Environment also affects intelligence • prenatal environment impacts IQ • Prenatal vitamins • IQ of children in orphanages in Iowa (Skeel, 1930) • Orphans who had little adult interaction had “subnormal” IQ • Children who had were placed in adult ward had increased IQ from the retarded range to normal. • Concluded that children need to have someone to talk to them, play with them, and teach them to be able to reach their full potential.
Contributing factors: motivation • Motivation affects intellectual ability • Comparing Chinese and Japanese students with American students • Beliefs: American students and parents more likely to believe that ability is innate • Standards: American parents have lower standards for their children’s performance • Values: American students don’t value education as much as Asian students.
Contributing factors: intervention programs • Intervention Programs- Milwaukee Project intervened in children’s family life to offset the negative effects of cultural and socioeconomic deprivation • 40 poor pregnant women whose average IQ was 75 • 20 were given job training and had their children in the infant education center until they were 6 years old. • 20 were not given any special treatment, just periodic IQ testing • Children who were in the infant education center had average IQ of 126, 30 points higher than children who did not participate (m=94)
Contributing factors: intervention programs • Head Start started in 1965 • Provides low-income preschoolers age 3-5 educational and social skills before they get to school • Parents are also encouraged to participate in activities and administration of program • Graduates of Head Start have boost in cognitive abilities, stay in school longer, more likely to graduate from college