Chapter 9 Intelligence Flashcards
Intelligence test
Diagnostic tool designed to measure overall thinking ability.
Abstract thinking
Capacity to understand hypothetical concepts
Intelligence consists of:
Reason abstractly
Learn to adapt
Acquire knowledge
Benefit from experience
g(General intelligence)
Hypothetical factor that accounts for overall differences in intellect among people
s (Specific abilities)
Particular ability level in a narrow domain
Fluid intelligence
Capacity to learn new ways of solving problems
Crystallized intelligence
Accumulated knowledge of the world acquired over time
Multiple intelligence
Idea that people vary markedly in their ability levels across different domains of intellectual skill
Triarchic model
Model of intelligence proposed by Robert sternberg positing three distinct types of intelligence: analytical, practical, and creative.
Analytical intelligence
The ability to reason logically (book smarts)
Practical intelligence
Ability to solve real world problems especially those involving other people. (Street smart). Has social intelligence
Creative intelligence
Our ability to come up with novel and effective answers to questions.
Location of intelligence
More localized to certain areas of the cortex. Prefrontal cortex: might be command and control center that pulls together info from other parts of the brain to help us think. Look at page 325 in textbook
Intelligence and memory.
Page 326
Biological bases of intelligence
Page 324
Stanford Binet IQ test
Intelligence test based on the measure developed by Binet and Simon. Measures that involve testing vocab and memory for pictures, naming familiar objects repeating sentences and following commands.
Intelligence quotient
Systematic means of quantifying differences of intelligence among people. Divide mental age by chronological age and multiply the resulting number by 100
Mental age
Age corresponding to the average individuals performance on an intelligence test
Deviation IQ
Expression of a person’s IQ relative to his or her same aged peers
Wechsler adult intelligence scale
Most widely use intelligence test for adults today. Consists of 15 subtests to assess different types of metal abilities
Culture fair IQ test
Abstract reasoning measures that doesn’t depend on language and is often believed to be less influenced by cultural factors than other IQ tests
Practice effects
People frequently improve on tests as a result of practice alone. (Think coaching on college admissions test)
Stability of IQ scores: is it forever
Yet IQ scores are not fixed. They almost never remain the same over time; in fact, they occasionally shift for the same person by as much as 10 points or more over a matter of months.
Stability of IQ in adulthood
IQ scores remain reasonably stable in adulthood. Even across long stretches of time IQ scores tend to be reasonably stable.
Stability of IQ in infancy and childhood
Before ages 2 or three in children, IQ tests aren’t stable over time. Nor do IQ scores obtained in the first few years of life do a good job of forecasting long term outcomes.
Validity
The extent to which a test measures what it purports to measure
Concurrent validity
Ability to relate to outcomes measured at about the same time the test is administered
Predictive validity
IQ’s test capacity to forecast future outcomes
Threshold effect
Implies that above a certain level of IQ, intelligence is no longer predictive of important real world accomplishments
IQ predicts
A variety of important real world behaviors outside the classroom and workplace
IQ’s potential confound
IQ is positively associated with social class, as poorer people tend to have lower IQ
Bell curve
Distribution of scores in which the bulk of the scores fall toward the middle, with progressively fewer scores toward the tails or extremes
Intellectual disability
Condition characterized by an onset before adulthood, an IQ below about 70, and an inability to engage in adequate daily functioning
Family studies
Allow us to determine the extent to which a trait runs or goes together in intact families, those in which all family members live in the same home. IQ does run in family. These studies don’t allow us to distinguish the effects of genes from those of the environment
Twin studies
Compare correlations in a trait in identical and fraternal twins.higher identical IQ with identical than fraternal twins
Adoption studies
Examine the extent to which children adopted into new homes resemble their adoptive versus their biological parents. Environment contributes to it. In the first few years the IQ changes but as they get holder IQ resembles biological parents.
Birth order
IQ declines steadily with increasing numbers of children in a family. Only a few points difference. Problem: parents with lower IQ tend to have more children than higher IQ parents
Does schooling make us smarter?
Schooling exerts a causal effect on IQ. Pg. 342
Poverty and IQ: socioeconomic and nutritional deprivation
Social and economic deprivation can adversely effect IQ. Malnutrition in kids can lower IQ
Flynn effect
Finding that states average IQ scores have been rising at a rate of approximately three points per decade page: 344
Sex differences in IQ
Sex does not influence IQ. Men more variable: more men at both the low and high ends of the IQ bell curve
Sex differences in mental abilities
Women better than men on some verbal tasks like spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Women better at arithmetic math but men better at spatial ability page: 348. Sex differences in IQ and mental ability maybe due to genes
Racial differences in IQ
Caucasians and asians tend to score higher on IQ test than African Americans and Hispanics
Page 349. But can’t use race for inferring anyone’s IQ because some blacks are smarter than white or Asian. Probably because of environment like socioeconomic
Within group heritability
Extent to which the variability of a trait within a group is genetically influenced
Between group heritability
Extent to which differences in a trait between groups is genetically influenced
Test bias
A test predicts outcomes such as grades or occupational success better in one group than in another
Stereotype threat
Fear we may confirm a negative group stereotype
Divergent thinking
Capacity to generate many different solutions to a problem
Convergent thinking
Capacity to generate the single best solution to a problem
Emotional intelligence
Ability to understand our own emotions and those of others and to apply this info to our daily lives.
Wisdom
Application of intelligence toward a common good
