CH 10 INTELLIGNCE

Question 1

Our Working Definition

Answer 1

Ability to direct one’s thinking,
adapt to one’s circumstances, learn from one’s
experiences and apply knowledge and skills

Question 2

Intelligence Test Construction

Answer 2

• Reliability – the degree to which a test produces the same
  scores over time for the SAME test taker
• Test-retest reliability – to check on reliability–administer the
  test twice to the same person and check for score agreement
• Split-half reliability – another test of reliability–divide the
  items on a single test into two tests and see if the individual’s
  scores match on both halves
• Content Validity – the extent to which a test accurately
  measures or predicts what it is supposed to measure or predict

Question 3

Intelligence Test Construction

Answer 3

Standardization– Your score is in relation to other’s who have taken
the same test (this group forms a normative sample) if the test
follows the same procedures as your test.
Normal Distribution: A pattern of distribution whereby most scores
are near the middle (average) or within one standard deviation of
the mean (68% of population).
Predictive Validity – the extent to which scores on a particular test
successfully predict future performance on a measure related to
the test

Question 4

INTELLIGNCE

Answer 4

Intelligence tests Do not measure
“intelligence” per se, but ability on tasks
that make up what we refer to as IQ
(intelligence)– The most widely used intelligence tests
today are the Stanford-Binet and the
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
Aptitude – specific test for specific
purpose—lawyer, doctor. – Achievement tests—your exams

Question 5

The
History of
Intelligence
Tests and How
Intelligence
Has Been
Measured

Answer 5

Binet-Simon intelligence test
* Developed intelligence test based
on language abilities
* Introduced the idea of mental age,
the intellectual age at which a
person is functioning, as opposed
to chronological age

Question 6

Nature or
nurture?

Answer 6

Intelligence is
inherited
(genetic), says
Galton.

Question 7

Binet  Stanford-Binet:
Eugenics

Answer 7

Spearman’s ‘g’ and Factor
Analysis: All specific cognitive
abilities are highly correlated
therefore they must share a
common core, referred to as ‘g’
(General intelligence).

Question 8

Spearman’s two-factor theory of intelligence

Answer 8

Factor analysis – a statistical method for determining whether certain items
on a test correlate highly, thus forming a unified set, or cluster, of items
g factor – a theoretical general factor of intelligence underlying all distinct
clusters of mental ability
s factor – a theoretical specific factor uniquely tied to a distinct mental ability
or area of functioning

Question 9

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
(WAIS)

Answer 9

• Verbal comprehension.
• Processing speed.
• Perceptual organization.
• Working memory.

Question 10

Fluid vs. Crystallized Intelligence

Answer 10

Fluid intelligence involves dynamic
problem-solving abilities
independent of previously
acquired knowledge.
Crystallized intelligence requires an
understanding of cultural values and pre
existing knowledge of a subject, or the
world in general.

Question 11

Is Human Intelligence Increasing?

Answer 11

Flynn effect – rise in average IQ scores over time
throughout the world
Intelligence test scores have increased over time; however,
other standardized test scores have dropped

Question 12

The Bell Curve

Answer 12

1. Conventional IQ tests accurately measure intelligence
2. Higher IQ also predicts the avoidance of welfare dependence
   and criminality.
3. IQ is highly heritable.
4. There are racial and ethnic differences in intelligence.
5. IQ tests have eliminated bias

Question 13

Intelligence – Biological and Environmental
Factors

Answer 13

Genetic factors
* Higher correlation between identical twins’ intelligence scores (+0.86)
than fraternal twins (+0.60)
* Heritability – the amount of a given trait that can be attributed to
inherited genetic factors
* Heritability coefficient – a correlation coefficient used to indicate the
contribution of heredity to some characteristic, such as intelligence

Question 14

How to Tease Apart Heredity and Environment as
Determinants of Intelligence

Answer 14

Heredity (H2) (The
genetic factor)
* Family and twin
studies (i.e.,
shared genetics)
* Age
Environment
* Shared and Non
Shared
Environments-
Adoption studies,
deprived children
* The Flynn Effect
* Culture
Interaction
* The concept of
the reaction
range
* Epigenetics

Question 15

Intelligence –Environmental Factors

Answer 15

Environmental factors
* Family and home environment
o Dominates childhood
* Culture
o Definition of intelligence varies from culture to culture
o The expression of intelligence is tied to the survival needs of a
culture
* Occupation
o People of higher intelligence tend to work in more complex
jobs, but complex work may itself improve intelligence
* School
o Both a cause and a result of intelligence
o Intelligence is related to success in school
o Schooling improves mental abilities