Chapter 7: Intelligence and Cognitive Ability

Question 1

What is the Prevailing View

Answer 1

• 19th and 20th century
• women seen as not as intelligent as men
• mental abilities related to school performance
• Binet intelligence testing

Question 2

What is the Standford-Binet Intelligence Test

Answer 2

this argues the prevailing view on men and women and questioned societal assumptions of women’s intellectual inferiority
- suggested no gender differences

Question 3

What is Wechsler’s Intelligence Test

Answer 3

• verbal and performance skills

- no overall differences

Question 4

Gender differences in Verbal Performance

Answer 4

• girls and women have a small advantage- acquire language faster
• small differences, though men catch up in adolescence

Question 5

Girls and boy have different attitudes towards math

Answer 5

Girls:

• see math as less important to their future
• feel less confident about math ability
• receive less encouragement from parents and teachers
• both males and females tend to view math as male dominant

Question 6

4 major categories of spatial performance

Answer 6

• spatial perception
• Mental Rotation
• Spatial Visualization
• Spatiotemporal Ability

Question 7

Is Spatial Performance impacted by experience?

Answer 7

• practice of spatial tasks improves performance
• video games are good practice
• so yes

Question 8

How do men and women navigate differently

Answer 8

• men: orient to directions and forming an abstract map of the area
• Women: more likely to use landmarks to find their way

Question 9

Biological Evidence for gender differences in Cognitive Abilities

Answer 9

• selection difference during evolution
  men hunt (spatial) women care for children (verbal)
• influence of prenatal hormones
  creates small difference in performance though no relationship in adulthood
• Brain Imaging Technology
  left is verbal, right is spatial

Question 10

What is Stereotype threat

Answer 10

• the prescence of negative stereotypes affects the performance of those whom the stereotype applies
  eg: math performance, race

Question 11

confidence may be mediated through social abilities leading to

Answer 11

• stereotypes lead to incorrect conclusions

Question 12

What is Spatial Perception and what are the gender differences

Answer 12

• identify and locate
• boys better
  eg Piagets water level

Question 13

what is mental rotation and what are the gender differences

Answer 13

• visualizing objects as they would appear if rotated

- males better

Question 14

what is spatial visualization and what are the gender differences

Answer 14

• identifying the relationship of objects in space , mental manipulation of objects
  eg. whats next in the pattern
  eg. disembedding
• no differences

Question 15

what is spatiotemporal ability and what are the gender differences

Answer 15

• tracking objects moving through space

- males better but females more accurate (but slower)