Ch. 9 - Intelligence and Psychological Testing

Question 1

Achievement tests

Answer 1

Tests that gauge a person’s mastery and knowledge of various subjects.

Question 2

Aptitude tests

Answer 2

Psychological tests used to assess talent for specific types of mental ability.

Question 3

Construct validity

Answer 3

The extent to which there is evidence that a test measures a particular hypothetical construct.

Question 4

Content validity

Answer 4

The degree to which the content of a test is representative of the domain it’s supposed to cover.

Question 5

Convergent thinking

Answer 5

Narrowing down a list of alternatives to converge on a single correct answer.

Question 6

Correlation coefficient

Answer 6

A numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables.

Question 7

Creativity

Answer 7

The generation of ideas that are original, novel, and useful.

Question 8

Criterion-related validity

Answer 8

Test validity that is estimated by correlating subjects’ scores on a test with their scores on an independent criterion (another measure) of the trait assessed by the test.

Question 9

Crystallized intelligence

Answer 9

The ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills in problem solving.

Question 10

Deviation IQ scores

Answer 10

Scores that locate subjects precisely within the normal distribution, using the standard deviation as the unit of measurement.

Question 11

Divergent thinking

Answer 11

Trying to expand the range of alternatives by generating many possible solutions.

Question 12

Factor analysis

Answer 12

Statistical analysis of correlations among many variables to identify closely related clusters of variables.

Question 13

Fluid intelligence

Answer 13

Basic reasoning ability, memory capacity, and speed of information processing.

Question 14

Heritability ratio

Answer 14

An estimate of the proportion of trait variability in a population that is determined by variations in genetic inheritance.

Question 15

Intellectual disability

Answer 15

Subnormal general mental ability accompanied by deficiencies in everyday living skills originating prior to age 18.

Question 16

Intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 16

A child’s mental age divided by chronological age, multiplied by 100.

Question 17

Intelligence tests

Answer 17

Psychological tests that measure general mental ability.

Question 18

Mental age

Answer 18

In intelligence testing, a score that indicates that a child displays the mental ability typical of a child of that chronological (actual) age.

Question 19

Mental retardation

Answer 19

Subnormal general mental ability accompanied by deficiencies in everyday living skills originating prior to age 18. See Intellectual disability.

Question 20

Normal distribution

Answer 20

A symmetric, bell-shaped curve that represents the pattern in which many characteristics are dispersed in the population.

Question 21

Percentile score

Answer 21

A figure that indicates the percentage of people who score below the score one has obtained.

Question 22

Personality

Answer 22

An individual’s unique constellation of consistent behavioral traits.

Question 23

Personality tests

Answer 23

Psychological tests that measure various aspects of personality, including motives, interests, values, and attitudes.

Question 24

Psychological test

Answer 24

A standardized measure of a sample of a person’s behavior.

Question 25

Reaction range

Answer 25

Genetically determined limits on IQ or other traits.

Question 26

Reification

Answer 26

Giving an abstract concept a name and then treating it as though it were a concrete, tangible object.

Question 27

Reliability

Answer 27

The measurement consistency of a test (or of other kinds of measurement techniques).

Question 28

Standardization

Answer 28

The uniform procedures used in the administration and scoring of a test.

Question 29

Test norms

Answer 29

Standards that provide information about where a score on a psychological test ranks in relation to other scores on that test.

Question 30

Validity

Answer 30

The ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure.