Chapter 11

Question 0

Reification

Answer 0

Viewing an abstract immaterial concept as if it were a concrete thing (thinking of intelligence as a trait (thing) instead of a concept)

Question 1

Intelligence

Answer 1

Mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

Question 2

Factor Analysis

Answer 2

A statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie one’s total score (measures common abilities)

Question 3

Charles Spearman

Answer 3

G-factor (general mental ability) factor analysis, first

Question 4

General Intelligence

Answer 4

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 5

L.L. Thurstone

Answer 5

Rejected g-factor, didn’t rank his subjects on a single scale of general aptitude. Argued that factor analysis revealed seven independent mental abilities

Question 6

Howard Gardner

Answer 6

Supports Thurstone’s idea that intelligence comes in multiple forms. Gardner notes that brain damage may diminish one type of ability but not others

Question 7

Savant Syndrome

Answer 7

A condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing

Question 8

Robert Sternberg

Answer 8

Also agrees with Gardner, but suggests three intelligences rather than eight – practical (common sense, street smarts), analytical (book smarts), creative (adapt to novel situations, develop ideas)

Question 9

Emotional Intelligence

Answer 9

The ability to perceive, understand, manage and use emotions - some claim it is a form of personality

Question 10

Creativity

Answer 10

The ability to produce new and effective solutions to challenges, novel and valuable ideas (intrinsic motivation)

Question 11

Intelligence Test

Answer 11

A method for assessing an individuals mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others using numerical scores

Question 12

Alfred Binet

Answer 12

Personally supported the environmental explanation of intelligence (nurture). Predicted school achievement – mental age

Question 13

Mental Age

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Lewis Terman

Answer 14

(Innate IQ) a Stanford University professor, revised Binet’s original IQ test by establishing new age norms and extending the upper end of the tests range from teenagers to “superior adults” – called revision Stanford-Binet – supported nature side

Question 15

Stanford-Binet

Answer 15

The widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet’s original intelligence test

Question 16

Intelligent Quotient (IQ)

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Aptitude Tests

Answer 17

A test designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn (ACT, SAT, MCAT, LSAT)

Question 18

Achievement Test

Answer 18

A test designed to reflect what a person has learned, exams covering what you have learned in this course are achievement tests

Question 19

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

Answer 19

The most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance (nonverbal), broken into parts (subtests) – verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, working memory, processing speed

Question 20

Standardization

Answer 20

Defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a protested standardization group

Question 21

The Flynn Effect

Answer 21

Intelligence test performance has been improving

Question 22

Normal Curve

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Reliability

Answer 23

The extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternate forms of the test, or on retesting

Question 24

Validity

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Content Validity

Answer 25

The extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest (such as a driving test that samples driving tasks)

Question 26

Criterion

Answer 26

The behavior (such as future college grades) that a test (such as the SAT) is designed to predict; thus, the measure used in defining whether the test has predictive validity

Question 27

Predictive Validity

Answer 27

The success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior (also called criterion-related validity)

Question 28

Mental Retardation

Answer 28

A condition limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence test of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life; varies from mild to profound

Question 29

Down Syndrome

Answer 29

A condition of retardation and associated physical disorders caused by an extra chromosome in one’s genetic makeup

Question 30

Stereotype Threat

Answer 30

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