Ch 10-Intelligence Flashcards
intelligence
the ability to acquire knowledge, to think and reason effectively, and to deal adaptively with the environment.
-because cultural environments differ in the skills most important for adaptation, cultural conceptions of intelligence may differ markedly.
mental age
concept brought about by Binet which compares the abilities of indv children to what they should be able o accomplish given their age
IQ
(intelligence quotient)
- developed by stern, and an expansion of binet’s mental age
- originally the ratio of mental age to chronological age times 100, but mental age concept is really most useful in children
- today, IQ is based on smns relative performance to other ppl of the same age, with 100 corresponding to that age group’s average
army alpha and beta
tests used to screen large numbers of US army recruits for intellectual fitness. The Beta was non-verbal, using instrument mazes, picture completion, digit-symbol tasks.
-measured the intelligence of large numbers of ppl in a group setting
Wechler’s concept of intelligence
Wanted to improve upon Stanford-binet, which relied heavily in verbal skills. Thought intellect should be measured as group of distinct but related verbal and non-verbal abilities.
psychometric (data-based) approach
-attempts to map the structure of intellect and to discover the kinds of mental competencies that underlie test performance. tries to provide measurement-based map of the mind.
From lecture: tries to connect test scores using factor analysis and determine what (abilities) those factors might represent
psychometrics
statistical study of psychological tests.
factor analysis
statistical technique which reduces a large number of measures to smaller number of clusters/factors, with each one containing variables that correlate highly w one another but less highly w variables in other clusters. A factor allows inference of the underlying characteristic presumably accounting for the links among the variables in the cluster.
the g factor
a general intelligence that partly determines intellectual performance (spearman). the other contributor in whatever special ability might e required to perform a particular task. believed to constitute the core of intelligence, as it cuts across virtually all tasks.
thurstone: intelligence as specific mental abilities
because correlation scores on different mental tasks were far from perfect, thurstone concluded that human mental performance must not depend on a general factor but on 7 distinct abilities which he called primary mental abilities.
Thurstone’s primary mental abilites
Space (reasoning abt visual scenes)
Verbal comprehension
Word fluency (producing verbal statements)
Number facility (dealing w numbers)
Perceptual speed (recognizing visual patterns)
Rote memory (memorization)
Reasoning (dealing w novel problems)
crystallized intelligence (gc)
- one of two distinct but related subtypes of g
- the ability to apply previously acquired knowledge to current problems
- vocab and information tests are good measures of crystallized intelligence
- basis for expertise
- depends on ability to retrieve previously learned info and problem-solving schemas from LT mem, dependent on prev. learning and practice
- used more as we age
fluid intelligence (gf)
- ability to deal w novel problem solving situations for which personal experience doesn’t provide a solution
- involves inductive reasoning and creative problem-solving skills
- dependent primarily on efficient functioning of the CNS rather than prior experience and cultural context
- ability to perceive relations among stimulus patterns and draw inferences from relationships
- ex include tower of Hanoi and nine-dot problems
- requires ability to reason abstractly, think logically and manage info in working (ST) mem so that new problems can be solved on the blackboard of the mind
- used less as we mature
additional info on gc-gf model
aging affects the two forms differently; gc improved during adulthood and remains stable into late adulthood, while ST degrades with ages so gf will decrease.
- thins is evidence that they represent different classes of mental abilities
- further, gf in related to increased connectivity in the brain’s while matter, while gc is more associated w frontal and parietal grey matter
cognitive processing or theory-based approach
explore specific info-processing and cognitive processes that underlie intellectual ability
-seeks to find what makes up a factor of intelligence (mid-level ability) and asks what tests can be used to assess them
triarchic theory of intelligence (Sternberg)
addresses both psych processes involved in intelligent behaviour and diverse forms intelligence can take.
-divides cognitive processed into 3 specific components (metacomponents, performance components, knowledge-acquisition components)
metacomponents
higher-order processes used to plan and regulate task performance
- include problem solving skills (identifying problems, formulating hypotheses + strategies, testing them logically, evaluating performance feedback)
- fundamental sources of indv differences in fluid intelligence (intelligent ppl spend more time framing problems + developing strategies as opposed to plunging in w/o sufficient forethought)
performance components
the actual mental processes used to perform the task.
-include perceptual processing, retrieving appropriate mems and schemas from LT, generating responses
knowledge-acquisition components
allow us to learn from our experiences, store info in mem, combine new insights w previously acquired info
-these abilities underlie indv differences in crystallized intelligence
Forms of intelligence in Sternberg’s triarchic theory
- analytical (academically oriented problem-solving skills measured by traditional intelligence tests)
- practical (skills needed to cope w everyday demands and manage oneself/others effectively)
- creative (mental skills needed to deal adaptively with novel problems)
Gardner’s multiple intelligences
- Linguistic (ability to use language well, as writers do)
- logical-mathematical (a reasoning ability)
- visuospatial (solve spatial problems of succeed in fields such as architecture)
- musical (perceive pitch and rhythm, understand and produce music)
- bodily-kinesthetic (control body mvmts, skillfully manipulate objects; dancers, athletes, surgeons)
- intrapersonal (ability to understand oneself)
- naturalistic (understand and detect phenomena in the nat. world; zoologist, meteorologist)
(9. philosophical (ponder questions abt meaning of one’s existence, life, death) (speculative))
emotional intelligence
-abilities to read others’ emotions accurately, respond appropriately, motivate oneself, be aware on one’s own emotions, regulate + control one’s emotional responses.
included four branches:
-perceiving emotions (measured by accuracy in judging emotional expressions in photographs and emotional tones conveyed by diff landscapes/designs)
-using emotions to facilitate thought (asking ppl to identify emotions that would vest enhance a particular type of thinking)
-understanding emotions (specify conditions under which their emotions change in intensity or type; which basic emotions blend to create subtle ones (envy, jealousy))
-managing emotions (indicate how they can change their own/others’ emotions to facilitate success, increase interpersonal harmony)
Wechsler test
four subtests measuring index scales; verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed); these are all combined to give a 5th score called the full-scale IQ
achievement test
designed to find out how much someone has already learned
- usually a good predicator of future achievement, but not always (someone may have gone to a better or worse school, etc)
- assumes everyone had the same opportunity to learn the material being tested
aptitude test
contains novel, puzzle-like problems that presumably go beyond prior learning and are thought to measure potential for future learning and performance
-fairer bc it supposedly depends less on prior knowledge than on ability to react to the problems presented, but it’s hard to make a test that is independent of prior learning and may require an ability to deal with puzzles that isn’t relevant to success in situations other than the test itself
psychological test
method for measuring indv differences related to some psych concept/construct based on sample of relevant behaviour in scientifically designed and controlled setting (ex. intelligence is the construct, scores obtained on the test are its operational definition)
-must be reliable, valid and standardizable
reliability
-consistency of measurement
test-retest: measurement stability over time, assessed by correlating the scores of 2+ results from tests given to the same set of participants on separate occasions
internal consistency: consistency of measurement w/in the test itself, ex all items in the test are measuring the same skill and show high correlations
interjudge reliability: consistency in measurement when different ppl observe the same event, or score the same test; ideally 2 psychologists who score the same test should assign the same scores
Validity
How well a test measures what it is designed to.
-construct validity: test successfully measures the psych construct it’s designed to, as indicated by relations btw test scores and other behaviours it should be related to
content validity: whether the items on the test measure all the knowledge or skills assumed to underlie the construct of interest (ex. a test of mathematical ability should have qs on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc)
criterion-related validity: ability of test scores to correlate w meaningful criterion measures (behaviours that are assumed to be influenced by and therefore predicted by what the test measures))
standardization
two meanings; development of norms, and rigorously controlled testing procedures
norms and normative scores
test scores derived from a large sample that represents particular age segments of the population
-normative scores provided basis for interpreting individual scores relative to the whole, as well as allow recalibration of the distribution of test scores
heritability coefficient (h2)
statistical measure of how much of the difference in intelligence between individuals can be explained by/attributed to genes
relative intelligence
remains stable over time, and is relative to other people’s intelligence
absolute intelligence
looks just at one individual over their lifespan and notes changes in their intelligence over time, comparing the individual to themselves
Flynn effect
the average intelligence test score seems to rise by ~0.3% per year
-this may be due to an improvement in environmental conditions over time (better nutrition, access to ressources, etc)
outcome bias
when a test underestimates a person or group’s true IQ score
predictive bias
if a test accurately certain qualifying criteria in one group but not in another
prodigy
person of normal intelligence who has one extraordinary ability
savant
person who scores low on IQ tests but has a really extraordinary ability
