Chapter 7: Assessment (Intellectual and Cognitive Measures)

Question 1

g Factor

Answer 1

the general factor shared by all intellectural activities

Question 2

Fluid Intelligence

Answer 2

the ability to solve novel problems

innate intellectual potential

Question 3

Crystallized Intelligence

Answer 3

what we have learned in life, both from formal education and general life experiences

Question 4

Premorbid IQ

Answer 4

intellectual functioning prior to an accident or the onset of a neurological decline

Question 5

Full Scale IQ

Answer 5

the total score for an intelligence scale obtained by summing scores on verbal and non-verbal scales

usually referred to simply as the IQ

Question 6

Representativeness

Answer 6

extent to which a sample reflects the characteristics of the population from which it is drawn

Question 7

Flynn Effect

Answer 7

the observed trend that IQ scores in developed countries have increased over the past few decades

Question 8

Semantic Memory

Answer 8

memory of general knowledge of words, concepts, and events

Question 9

Episodic Memory

Answer 9

memory of a person’s direct experiences

Question 10

Is intelligence a caste system?

Answer 10

our society places tremendous importance on intelligence

belief that higher levels are associated with higher standard of living, better emotional adjustment, more favorable employment, and a host of other social advantages

ethics and utility of formal measurement has been hotly debated

intelligence test results are essential to establishing eligibility for special funding, either for giftedness, or for individuals in need of special ed/income support

Question 11

What are the correlates of intelligence?

Answer 11

40-80% of variability in intelligence scores is due to genetic factors

environmental affects the extent to which individuals achieve their full potential

280 genes associated with intellectual disability identified; no single gene associated with normal variation

breast-feeding seems to be associated with higher IQ among babies born prematurely

Question 12

What are protective factors for intelligence?

Answer 12

breast-feeding seems to be associated with higher IQ among babies born prematurely

higher SES in children adopted form low SES homes

aerobic exercise in older adults

Question 13

What is the clinical context of intelligence?

Answer 13

to identify possible impairments/weaknesses/strengths

to identify appropriate learning environments

to make recommendations for modifying work/home environments

Question 14

How is IQ calculated?

Answer 14

calculating IQ, or intelligence quotient stems from a desire to compare peoples mental functioning to their chronological age

IQ = mental age divided by chronological age multiplied by 100

problem: IQ distribution differs as a function of age

solution: standardized raw scores according to a fixed mean and standard deviation

puts everyone on a common scale (deviation IQ)

Question 15

Who was David Wechsler?

Answer 15

there are several different definitions of intelligence

Wechsler said that global capacity to purposefully act, think rationally, and interact effectively with the environment

Wechsler is probably the principal figure in the development of modern intellectual assessment tools

his definition has pervaded modern scientific understandings of intelligence

Question 16

What are the features that all definitions of intelligence have in common?

Answer 16

abstract thinking

learning from experience

solving (novel) problems through insight

adjusting adaptively to new situations/demands

focusing and sustaining cognitive resources toward the realization of a goal

Question 17

What are the three categories of theories of intelligence?

Answer 17

factor models
hierarchical models
information processing models

Question 18

What are factor models of intelligence?

Answer 18

central assumption: a core set of underlying intellectual domains combines to determine one’s level of performance on any given task

the best known of those was proposed by Spearman (1927); it is a two-factor model

Question 19

What is the Spearman two-factor model of intelligence?

Answer 19

there is a primary factor known as g (general), and a number of specific factors known as s (specific)

specific factors combine with general intelligence to determine performance on given tasks; higher or lower levels of either will affect task performance

significant empirical support exists for this model; the idea is by no means out-dated

Question 20

What is the Thurston (1938) factor model of intelligence?

Answer 20

embodies similar reasoning, but downplays the role of g, and instead assigns higher importance to a group of factors known as primary mental abilities

these underlie a variety of broad domains necessary for successful task performance

minimal overlap between them, but that overlap is acknowledged to correspond to Spearman’s g

Question 21

What is the problem with factor models of intelligence?

Answer 21

a theoretician could posit as few as two, or a great many factors

when are those really reflective of distinct abilities, and when are they merely combinations?

Question 22

What is fluid intelligence?

Answer 22

reflects ability to solve novel problems

Question 23

What are hierarchical models of intelligence?

Answer 23

Horne & Cattell (1966) distinguish between fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence

both are considered to be general factors

there is nothing in this model that requires that crystallized intelligence units are the same from one person to the next

think of them as established abilities

Question 24

What is crystallized intelligence?

Answer 24

develops on the basis of formal experience and education

Question 25

What are cognitive (information processing) models?

Answer 25

focus on the way information is processed in the brain

Question 26

What is Sternberg’s triarchic model of intelligence?

Answer 26

componential abilities: executive functioning

experiential abilities: novel problem solving

contextual abilities: adaptation to, and of, the environment as a means of coping

Question 27

What is the Gardner (1983) multiple intelligences model?

Answer 27

multiple intelligences, including spiritual and moral

anticipated direct application to education

acknowledges that certain unique configurations of intellectual ability are not always reocognized by standard tests

focused on identifying, and making use of individua areas of particular intellectual competence; this part is actually compatible with virtually all theories of intelligence

Question 28

What is Guilford’s SI (structure of intelligence) theory?

Answer 28

has elements of both factor and cognitive models

6 operations x 6 content areas x 6 products = 216 types of intelligence

Question 29

How is intelligence testing used in relation to brain damage?

Answer 29

estimating extent of brain damage following TBI

tracking the progress of a degenerative condition (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease)

it is inherently difficult to comment on change in the absence of baseline data

may be possible to estimate premorbid IQ on the basis of subtests less affected by neurologically-based decline

Question 30

How are intelligence tests bound to the definitions we base them on?

Answer 30

intellectual assessments, like any other psychological tests, are inherently bound to the construct definitions we base them on

to score highly on one measure does not guarantee that one will score as well on a measure based on a different definition of intelligence

they are more-or-less valid with respect to any given application

Question 31

What are the three versions of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales?

Answer 31

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV): ages 16 to 90

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V): ages 6 to 17

Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV): ages 2;6 to 3;11

Question 32

How was Wechsler involved in the assessment of mental abilities in WWI?

Answer 32

was also a student of Spearman, but was not motivated to develop scales according to any theoretical model

just wanted good clinical utility

that said, retention of FSIQ (broadest score) suggests an inherently hierarchical model

performance and verbal scales were similar in intent to the Army Alpha and Army Beta tests, i.e., to assess literate, and illiterate individuals respectively

Question 33

What are the recent changes made to the Wechsler intelligence scales?

Answer 33

WAIS-III underwent significant revision: poor empirical support for VIQ and PIQ, better support for composite or index scores

WAIS-IV eliminated VIQ and PIQ completely: format more closely paralleled that of WISC-IV

Question 34

What is the interpretation of intelligence tests?

Answer 34

proceeds from the general to specific, i.e., FSIQ, index scores, subtest scores (profile analysis)

often interested in identifying relative rather than normative strengths and weaknesses

the broadest scores are the most statistically reliable and the best predictors of academic achievement

subtest scores provide more specific information, but are less reliable: it is less certain that they are predictive of academic success, even in narrow domains

Question 35

Why were the Wechsler intelligence scales changed over time?

Answer 35

to better correspond to the superior support for composite scores

improve psychometric properties

reduce administration time

improved standardization samples; number, cross-cultural representation, foreign norms

avoids being an unfair test: people of equal ability will score differently on the basis of an irrelevant influence

Question 36

Do Canadians really need separate norms from US test takers?

Answer 36

in fact, Canadians score slightly higher when US content and norms are applied

why: longer academic year, less gender and racial score, disparity, plenty of exposure to US information sources, better public schools

Question 37

What is the administration of intelligence tests?

Answer 37

very strict rules; break them and the scores are virtually meaningless

a big part of graduate school training

most items/instructions have to be read to examinee verbatim; gets easier with practice

can’t give any feedback concerning performance, but may give praise of effort; rules exist around when additional information can be canvassed

strict scoring guidelines; examples are given in addition to the general principles that underlie them

Question 38

What is the WAIS-IV?

Answer 38

released in 2008

US normative sample > 2000 adults
Canadian normative sample > 1000 adults

stratified sampling employed

excellent reliability coefficients: internal consistency >/= 0.90 somewhat less for individual subsets (which is expected on the basis of fewer items)

high correlations between WAIS-IV and WAIS-III scores

excellent validation

Question 39

What is the WISC-V?

Answer 39

released in 2014

similar to WAIS-V but uses relatively simplified language, more accessible items, and content appropriate to younger population

US standardization sample = 2200 children and adolescents

Canadian sample = 1100

also has exceptional psychometric properties

Question 40

What is the WPPSI-IV?

Answer 40

published in 2012

15 subsets, but the full battery is not generally given; subsets are chosen on the basis of examinee age, and referral question

psychometric properties also very good, but not quite the same as the other test versions

Question 41

What is the Stanford-Binet: Fifth Edition test?

Answer 41

not as prominent as it once was

covers age range of 2 to 85 years

originally designed to assess for giftedness and learning disability

immense normative sample of 4800 US adults: limited re-standardization data for use on samples outside the US

Question 42

What is the Wechsler Memory Scales (WMS-IV)?

Answer 42

standardized to correspond to Wechsler IQ measures

in combination with IQ data, very useful for diagnosing specific clinical conditions such as dementia, and other forms of memory impairment

assesses several facets of immediate, remote, auditory, and visual memory

Question 43

What is the California Verbal Learning Test-3?

Answer 43

requires examinee to memorize a list of 15 common nouns over the course of five successive verbal presentations; recall tested after each presentation

“learning curve” is constructed

differentiates between: immediate and delayed recall as well as cued and non-cued recall

assesses ability to utilize semantic versus serial clustering

does not address visual memory

Question 44

What is the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-IV?

Answer 44

standardized measure of academic achievement

useful in diagnosis of learning disabilities based on discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability

most subsets have excellent reliability (except learning comprehension); composite scores are nevertheless good