controversii in diferente in inteligenta Flashcards
are there systematic group differences in psychological traits
yes
neuroticism is greater in women
spatial ability is greater in men
HOWEVER
effect sizes of group differences are very small
e.g. millions of women outperform millions of men on spatial tests
what is spatial ability
spatial ability is a skill in representing, transforming, generating, and recalling symbolic, non-linguistic information
what is the cause of group differences in spatial ability
prenatal testosterone does not explain sex differences in spatial ability
maybe environment influences - self-fulfilling prophecy - ppl think men are better at this so they become better
men play more navigation video games
what are the environmental effects on group differences
girls performed similar to better than boys on generic science tests in most nations
gender gap in STEM is greater in countries with more gender equality
Consequently, women in these countries may be more likely to opt out of STEM fields if they have other career interests.
what is the biological explanation for sex/gender differences
men seek to spread their semen and women invest more selectively in precious eggs
sex differences in reproductive biology often thought to underlie individual differences in cognition, affect and behaviour
what are within group differences
group differences are usually small
most variability is observed within groups
e.g.
the difference between 2 women is more likely to be higher than the average difference between males and females
what is an example of when science has gone wrong
difficult to assess a race’s IQ
What is race
What is IQ
easier to assess nations on IQ and compare average IQ across the globe
Some studies have tried to testing predictive validity of National IQ: are they associated with wealth, national life expectancy, etc.?
what is an example of a study that was done on IQ and skin colour
ethnic groups in colder climates -> higher IQ scores than those in warmer
greater IQ needed to adapt to colder climates over generations
RESULTS
Darker skin colour = lower IQ
rated by 3 graduate students with high inter-rater reliability
what are problems with this study
temperature obtained from Fodor’s World Weather Guide
- the guide covers many cities in larger countries but only 1 or 2 in small countries
skin colour was rated by undergraduate students with no knowledge of variability of skin colour within countries
estimated IQ’s for 104 countries, based on 81 known IQ’s by geographical proximity
what are the conclusions
critically evaluate research questions, methods, findings
what is the difference between findings and interpretations
finding: individual differences in intelligence are heritable (correct)
interpretation: intelligence is innate and fixed (incorrect)
-Heritability is a statistical estimate referring to a proportion of variance in a population that is attributable to genetic differences in this population
-Heritability may differ in different environments
what changes occur in intelligence
intelligence can change within people
e.g. development of knowledge in adulthood
how can IQ be influenced by environment
Romanian orphan chidlren
how can inequality, SES, political set up, educational set up influence intelligence
reduce opportunity and resources may limit the expression of relevant genes
epigenetic processes - mother’s stress during pregnancy may activate negative patterns of gene expression in herself and child
