Block 4 - Intelligence - Lecture 1 - intro

Question 1

What is the Moray house test?

Answer 1

• created by Prof Sir Godfrey Thomson
• obtained IQ score from national year of birth cohorts in Scotland
• tested the same people again at around 80 years old and the rank of scores was similar

Question 1

Definition of intelligence?

Answer 1

• there are many different definitions
• they all share a single attribute = intelligence is a general mental ability
• there are 2 themes common in the definitions of intelligence:
  1. capacity to learn from experience
  2. capacity to adapt to the environment

Question 2

What is a hypothetical construct?

Answer 2

• an explanatory variable which is not directly observable
• intelligence is an example of this

Question 3

What are implicit theories of intelligence?

Answer 3

• used for formulating cross-cultural views about intelligence
• provide a basis for explicit theories
• data comes from asking people their notion of intelligence
• drives the way people evaluate their own and other peoples intelligence

Question 4

What are explicit theories of intelligence?

Answer 4

• conducted by scientists
• based on data collection
• performance on tasks presumed to measure intelligence

Question 5

Research into implicit theories - Sternberg?

Answer 5

• investigated intelligence in lay persons
• phase 1 = people asked to list behaviours that were characteristic of different types of intelligence
• phase 2 = other people were asked to rate how well each of the behaviours listed reflected aspects of intelligence
• results = he found 3 dimensions of intelligence in laypersons

Question 6

What are the 3 dimensions of intelligence in laypersons that Sternberg found?

Answer 6

1. practical problem solving ability
2. verbal ability = ability to express yourself and converse with others confidently
3. social competence = skills necessary to be accepted and fulfilled socially

Question 7

Laypersons implicit theories across cultures?

Answer 7

• western culture = emphasis on the speed of mental processing and ability to gather and sort quickly and efficiently
• non western culture = good cognitive skills, good memory but also social, historical and spiritual aspects of everyday interaction

Question 8

Evidence that conceptions of intelligence differs for different ages - Siegler and Richards 1982?

Answer 8

• asked adults to describe the ideal intelligent person at 6 months, 2 years, 10 years and as adults
• 6 months = able to recognise people and objects, motor coordination, awareness
• 2 years = verbal abilities, motor coordination, curiosity
• 10 years = learning, problem solving, reasoning, creativity
• adult = problem solving, verbal ability, reasoning, creativity