Chapter 10: Intelligence

Question 1

intelligence

Answer 1

the mental potential to learn from experience, solve probllems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

Question 2

general intelligence (g factor)

Answer 2

a general intelligence factor that, according to spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test

Question 3

savant sydrome

Answer 3

a condition in whihc a person otherwise limited in mental abilities has an exceptional specific skill (pinball dude)

Question 4

intelligence test

Answer 4

a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores

Question 5

achievement test

Answer 5

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

Question 6

aptitude test

Answer 6

a test designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn

Question 7

mental age

Answer 7

a measure of intelligence test performance designed by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance. Thus, a child who does as well as an average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8

Question 8

Stanford-Binet

Answer 8

the widely used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence test

Question 9

intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 9

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (thus, IQ = ma/ca *100) on contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100

Question 10

Wechsier Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

Answer 10

WAIS + childhood version are the most widely used intelligence tests; contain verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests

Question 11

standardization

Answer 11

defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performances of a pretested group

Question 12

normal curve

Answer 12

the bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Many scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes

Question 13

reliability

Answer 13

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on to halves of the test, on alternative forms of the test, or on retests

Question 14

validity

Answer 14

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

Question 15

content validity

Answer 15

the extent to which a test samples the behaviour that is of interest

Question 16

predictive validity

Answer 16

the success with which a test predicts the behaviour it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behaviour

Question 17

cohort

Answer 17

a group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as from a given time period

Question 18

crystallized intelligence

Answer 18

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

Question 19

fluid intelligence

Answer 19

our ability to reason speedily and abstractedly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

Question 20

intellectual disability

Answer 20

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence test score of 70 or below and difficulty adapting to the demands of life

Question 21

down syndrome

Answer 21

a condition of mild to severe intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21

Question 22

heritability

Answer 22

the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied

Question 23

stereotype threat

Answer 23

a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype