Chapter 8

Question 1

the desire for significant accomplishment; persons with this trait enjoy competitive and complex activities, prefer feedback on their performance, and are more willing to delay gratification for achievement goals.

Answer 1

achievement motivation

Question 2

tests intended to measure an individual’s present level of development of a specific skill relative to grade level content standards.

Answer 2

achievement test

Question 3

problem-solving and “book smarts;” the kind of intelligence typically measured by IQ tests; part of Sternberg’s triarchic model of intelligence.

Answer 3

analytic intelligence

Question 4

tests intended to measure an individual’s relative ability to acquire specific skills through enrollment in an appropriate training or educational program.

Answer 4

aptitude tests

Question 5

an empirically driven theoretical approach to the measurement of intelligence that measures over 80 abilities that differ with regard to the breadth of their contribution to cognitive processing.

Answer 5

cattell-horn-carroll theory of cognitive abilities

Question 6

the degree to which a test assesses the behavior of interest.

Answer 6

content validity

Question 7

the ability to generate novel solutions to new problems or to create works of art, music, or literature; part of Sternberg’s triarchic model of intelligence

Answer 7

creative intelligence

Question 8

the ability to use skills and knowledge previously acquired from experience; it involves the capacity to retrieve information from long-term memory, and the expression of cultural and educational experiences in relationship with fluid intelligence.

Answer 8

crystallized intelligence

Question 9

a metric that compares a subject’s IQ performance with an age-matched reference group; necessary to keep IQ scores from dropping when mental age levels out or reaches asymptote in adulthood but chronological age continues to increase

Answer 9

deviation IQ

Question 10

capacity to accurately perceive emotions in other people, to understand one’s own emotions, and to regulate emotions effectively.

Answer 10

emotional intelligence

Question 11

“good genes”; a social movement intended to promote procreation by people with good genes, and hinder procreation by people with bad genes.

Answer 11

eugenics

Question 12

the capacity to analyze and solve novel problems independent of acquired knowledge; it involves logic, inductive and deductive reasoning, and scientific, technical, and mathematical problem solving

Answer 12

fluid intelligence

Question 13

the gradual increase in IQ scores over time, the cause of which is not fully known.

Answer 13

Flynn effect

Question 14

the theory developed by Charles Spearman that proposed that intelligence is composed of one primary general intelligence factor (g), and an array of less important specific abilities (s).

Answer 14

general intelligence theory

Question 15

Spearman’s construct of a single dominant uniform factor of intelligence.

Answer 15

g factor

Question 16

a term historically used to refer to an individual who is unable to master spoken language and who has a mental age of 3 or less and an IQ score of 25 or less; the lowest order of mental retardation; is no longer used due to its negative connotation.

Answer 16

idiot

Question 17

a term historically used to refer to an individual who is able to speak, but unable to learn to read or write, and has an IQ score of roughly 25-50 and a mental age of 7-8; the second order of mental retardation; is no longer used due to its negative connotation.

Answer 17

imbecile

Question 18

the value added by combining to variables together in a prediction equation.

Answer 18

incremental validity

Question 19

property of the mind associated with an individual’s capacity for abstract thought reasoning, planning, problem solving, learning from experience, and communication; most often measured with IQ tests.

Answer 19

intelligence

Question 20

a measure of intelligence consisting of one’s mental age (as measured by an IQ test) divided by one’s chronological age and multiplied by 100; the mean of most IQ tests is 100 and the standard deviation is 15.

Answer 20

intelligence quotient (IQ)

Question 21

tests intended to measure intelligence independently of the subject’s diligence in the application of that ability to master specific academic skills.

Answer 21

intelligence tests

Question 22

the difference between the actual value of a quantity and the value obtained by the measurement instrument currently employed. If variability is an inherent property of the item being measured, then each assessment will contain an observational error which will be expressed as a slightly different result each time a measurement is repeated with a sensitive measurement instrument.

Answer 22

measurement error

Question 23

an IQ score of 50-70; these persons are able to achieve a sixth grade level of mastery and may be able to support self with vocational skills; it occurs in 85% of those with mental retardation.

Answer 23

mild mental retardation

Question 24

an IQ score of 35-49; these persons are able to achieve a 2nd grade level of mastery and may contribute to their own support in a sheltered-workshop setting; it occurs in 10% of persons with mental retardation.

Answer 24

moderate mental retardation

Question 25

a term historically used to refer to an individual who is barely able to read, and has an IQ score of roughly 50-69; the highest order of mental retardation; is no longer used due to its negative connotation.

Answer 25

moron

Question 26

the level of performance of a reference group used as a bench mark in to standardized tests.

Answer 26

norms

Question 27

a technique intended to measure one’s intelligence and mental faculties using variations in the perimeter and shape of the skull; it is not a valid measure of intelligence.

Answer 27

phrenology (cranioscopy)

Question 28

street smarts,” the ability to size people up and calculate the best strategies to manage challenging or tricky interpersonal situations, to get ahead on the job or solve technical problems that require the mastery of knowledge that is developed without formal training; part of Sternberg’s triarchic model of intelligence.

Answer 28

practical intelligence (tacit intelligence)

Question 29

the degree to which a test predicts the behavior it was designed to predict.

Answer 29

predictive validity (criterion-related validity)

Question 30

the theory developed by L.L. Thurstone that proposed that intelligence is composed of seven independent primary cognitive abilities (verbal comprehension, reasoning, perceptual speed, numerical ability, word fluency, associative memory, and spatial visualization).

Answer 30

primary mental abilities theory

Question 31

the length of time required to make sense of the information you have received; a measure of cognitive proficiency.

Answer 31

processing speed

Question 32

an IQ below 20; these persons are in need of constant assistance and supervision; it occurs in 1-2% of those with mental retardation.

Answer 32

profound mental retardation

Question 33

a branch of psychology devoted to the measurement of attitudes, beliefs, personality, knowledge, and intelligence.

Answer 33

psychometrics

Question 34

the degree to which a test consistently generates the same results.

Answer 34

reliability

Question 35

the process of revising tests to maintain the same mean score and standard deviation; it is necessary because of the Flynn Effect

Answer 35

restandardization

Question 36

a random deviation of a measured sample from the true characteristics of the entire population of subjects, i.e. the males enrolled in a study being slightly smarter than the average male in the population.

Answer 36

sampling error

Question 37

rare phenomenon in which individuals with mental retardation, autism, brain injury, or other developmental limitations have at least one area of brilliance or unusual expertise.

Answer 37

savantism (savant syndrome)

Question 38

an IQ score of 20-34; these persons may learn to speak and to complete simple tasks under close supervision; it occurs in 3-4% of those with mental retardation.

Answer 38

severe mental retardation

Question 39

Spearman’s construct of the strength of various specific abilities an individual possesses; it coexists with, but is less important than, Spearman’s g-factor of intelligence.

Answer 39

s factor

Question 40

the capacity to comprehend complex social situations accurately and to successfully manage one’s self in social situations.

Answer 40

social intelligence

Question 41

tests that are administered, scored, and interpreted in a predetermined consistent manner.

Answer 41

standardized tests

Question 42

the concern that an individual will be evaluated not according to his or her level of performance or their potential for future gains in ability, but according to a negative stereotype for the group in which they are a member.

Answer 42

stereotype threat

Question 43

self taught intelligence designed to solve real world, personally meaningful problems.

Answer 43

tacit intelligence

Question 44

when a test predicts outcomes with greater precision for one group of subjects than for another group of subjects.

Answer 44

test bias

Question 45

the theory developed by Howard Gardner that proposes that intelligence is composed of 8 or 9 distinct frames of mind (linguistic, logico-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, existential).

Answer 45

theory of multiple intelligences

Question 46

the theory developed by Robert Sternberg that proposed that intelligence is composed of three different factors (analytic intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence).

Answer 46

triarchic theory of intelligence

Question 47

the degree to which a test measures the attribute it was designed to measure.

Answer 47

validity