Chapter 9- IQ and Thinking

Question 1

Briefly describe Galton’s theory of IQ

Answer 1

Galton theorized that intelligence was a byproduct of sensory capacity

Question 2

What do most experts agree about the construct of
intelligence? (hint: 4 abilities)

Answer 2

readiness, resources, responses, and results

Question 3

Briefly describe Spearman’s theory of intelligence (make sure to discuss “g” and “s”)

Answer 3

idea that there are two types of intelligence:
general intelligence “g”
specific intelligences “s”

Question 4

Describe Cattell and Horn’s theory of IQ.

Answer 4

“intelligence” is a mix of two capacities

fluid intelligence- capacity to learn new ways

crystallized intelligence- accumulated knowledge of the world we gain over time

Question 5

List and briefly describe Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences (8)

Answer 5

Intra- Personal
Naturalistic
Spatial
Musical
Inter-personal
Logical Reasoning
Kinesthetic
Linguistic

Question 6

What are two criticism of Gardner’s theory?

Answer 6

Lacks sufficient scientific evidence and rigorous testing

includes abilities that may not align with traditional notions of intelligence

Question 7

List and briefly describe the 3 elements of the triarchic model of intelligence.

Who is the originator of this model?

Answer 7

Made by Sternberg.

Analytical- book smart (school and memorizing)

Practical- street smart (political and social)

Creative- creativity (problem solving and analyzing)

Question 8

What has been found about brain size and intelligence in humans? What does this correlation mean?

Answer 8

Brain volume correlates positively with measured intelligence (between 0.3 and 0.4)

more evident for some abilities (language)

there is some level of truth to this (moderate correlation)

Question 9

What has been found about reaction time and IQ?

Answer 9

The quicker you can answer, the higher IQ score you receive.

Question 10

What has been found about memory and IQ?

Answer 10

Individuals with high IQ have stronger memory capabilities.

Question 11

What cortex of the brain has been most strongly associated with “g”?

Answer 11

Prefrontal Cortex- reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Question 12

What does double curse of incompetence refer to?

Answer 12

People with poor cognitive ability tend to overestimate their own cognitive ability and have inflated confidence

Question 13

How was IQ initially calculated? What is the formula? What is the critical flaw in this approach?

What statistic do modern IQ test rely on?

Answer 13

The original I Q measure compared a person’s chronological age to their mental age.

Mental Age
——————
Chronological Age x 100= IQ

This approach works for children, but not adults

Modern I Q tests get around this problem by using deviation IQ.

Question 14

Know how to calculate IQ using Mental Age.

Know how to look up a deviation IQ using
a raw score and chronological age.

Answer 14

Mental Age
——————Chronological Age x 100= IQ

To look up a deviation IQ using a raw score and chronological age.

Question 15

What were two disturbing practices associated with the eugenics movement in North America?

Answer 15

improve a population’s genetic stock by…

encouraging those with good genes to reproduce

discouraging those with bad genes from reproducing, or both

Question 16

How does the stability of IQ change across infancy and childhood?

Answer 16

Infancy: IQ scores in infancy are less stable and can fluctuate significantly due to rapid developmental changes.

Early Childhood: Stability begins to improve, but scores can still vary widely due to environmental influences and learning experiences.

Middle Childhood and Beyond: By around age 6 or 7, IQ scores become more stable and consistent, reflecting more reliable measures of cognitive ability as children develop.

Question 17

How do psychologist define intellectual disability? (3 criteria).

Answer 17

Intellectual Functioning

Adaptive Functioning

Onset During Developmental Period

mild, moderate, severe, and profound

Question 18

What three types of methods have been used to study the impact of genetics versus environment on IQ?

Answer 18

Twin Studies: Comparing the IQ scores of identical twins (who share 100% of their genes) with those of fraternal twins (who share about 50% of their genes) to assess the relative contributions of genetics and environment.

Adoption Studies: Examining the IQ of adopted children and comparing it to their biological and adoptive parents to determine the influence of genetic versus environmental factors.

Family Studies: Analyzing IQ scores across different family members to assess how closely related individuals’ IQs are, which helps in understanding the role of shared genetics and environments.

Question 19

What 3 lines of evidence suggest that schooling exerts a causal influence on IQ?

Answer 19

IQ scores typically increase during school years and tend to plateau during summer breaks, indicating that formal education enhances cognitive skills.

individuals with more years of schooling generally have higher IQ scores

Programs designed to enhance educational experiences have been shown to improve IQ scores.

Question 20

Describe how poverty may effect IQ

Answer 20

Lack of proper nutrition and safe environment.

Higher lead levels.

Question 21

Describe 4 possible explanations for the Flynn effect.

Answer 21

Most likely the result of environmental changes.

Increased test sophistication

Increased complexity of modern world

Better nutrition

Changes at home and school

Question 22

What has been found about sex differences in IQ?

Answer 22

males are more variable in their scores, prominent in tail ends.

More women with average scores.

Not strong correlation.

Female- verbal and social tasks
Male- spatial and abstract thinking

Question 23

Intelligence Test

Answer 23

standardized assessment designed to measure an individual’s cognitive abilities.

Question 24

g (general intelligence)

Answer 24

(g) accounts for overall differences in intellect among people

Question 25

Stanford- Binet IQ Test

Answer 25

First IQ Test

Focused on higher mental processes – reasoning, understanding, judgment

Most now agree that intelligence is related to the capacity to understand theoretical concepts (abstract thinking)

Question 26

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Answer 26

is a score derived from standardized tests designed to measure human intelligence.

Question 27

s (specific ability)

Answer 27

s (unique to the task)

Question 28

fluid intelligence

Answer 28

Capacity to learn new ways of solving problems

Question 29

crystallized intelligence

Answer 29

Accumulated knowledge of the world we gain over time

Question 30

multiple intelligences

Answer 30

Several theorists argue that there are entirely different domains of intellectual skill

Question 31

Triarchic Model

Answer 31

Sternberg theorized three largely distinct types of intelligence: analytic, practical and creative

Question 32

Intellectual Disability

Answer 32

Characterized by childhood onset of low IQ (below about 70) and inability to engage in adequate daily functioning.

Question 33

Within- Group Heritability

Answer 33

proportion of variance in a trait that can be attributed to genetic differences among individuals within a specific group.

Question 34

Mental Age

Answer 34

age corresponding to the average individual’s performance on an intelligence test

Question 35

Deviation IQ

Answer 35

is a modern way of scoring intelligence tests, where a person’s score is compared to the average score of a specific age group.

Question 36

Eugenics

Answer 36

improve a population’s genetic stock by encouraging those with good genes to reproduce, discouraging those with bad genes from reproducing, or both

Question 37

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

Answer 37

Uses 15 subtests to generate these 5 categories

Overall IQ
Verbal comprehension
Perceptual reasoning
Working memory
Processing speed

Question 38

Culturally- Fair IQ Test

Answer 38

Consist of abstract-reasoning items that don’t depend on language

Question 39

Flynn Effect

Answer 39

The average IQ of the population has been rising by about 3 points every 10 years

Question 40

Between- Group Heritability

Answer 40

differnence in a trait due to genetic differences between distinct groups, such as populations or ethnicities.

how much of the variation in a characteristic is due to genetic factors when comparing different groups that may have different environmental conditions, cultural backgrounds, or other influences.