Defintions

Question 1

Innate

Answer 1

Relating to a behaviour, ability, disposition or characteristic that is present from birth rather than being acquired through experience

Question 2

Craniometry

Answer 2

The study of people’s intellectual abilities based on the shape and size of their head

Question 3

Neurology

Answer 3

The scientific study of the brain and the nervous system

Question 4

Confirmatory bias

Answer 4

When a scientists expectations unconsciously influence the outcome of their research. This occurs because of the tendency to pay most attention to those features of a phenomenon that appear to confirm prior expectations

Question 5

Psychometrics

Answer 5

A field of study in psychology concerned with psychological measurement of things like attitudes, personality traits, mood or intelligence

Question 6

Personality

Answer 6

A persons stable and enduring traits and characteristics (e.g. Whether they are outgoing, assertive, perceptive or emotional) which lead them to behave in a steady way over time

Question 7

Individual differences

Answer 7

Any characteristics that are susceptible to variation between individuals for example personality or intelligence

Question 8

Battery of tests

Answer 8

A series of tests aimed at measuring the same thing such as intelligence

Question 9

Scale

Answer 9

A term which in the context of intelligence research is often used instead of the word test. In psychology the word scale refers to any set of questionnaire items or tasks which combine to measure a bigger construct that cannot be measured directly such as intelligence or personality

Question 10

Test Norms

Answer 10

Benchmarks used to assess an individuals performance on intelligence tests. They offer insight into how a persons test score compares with the scores of other test takers from the same population

Question 11

Test standardisation

Answer 11

The process of establishing test norms by administering the test to a large sample of the population for which the test is intended

Question 12

Correlation

Answer 12

A measure of an association between two events or things. In the case of an intelligence test, this means that those who perform well on one task will also do well on another

Question 13

G, or general intelligence

Answer 13

The factor believed to underpin performance on different take in an intelligence test

Question 14

Intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 14

A score on an intelligence test which indicates how a persons intellectual ability compares to the general population

Question 15

Normal distribution

Answer 15

The assumption that characteristics which vary between people will be distributed across the population In such a way that values at or close to the average will be more frequent than extreme ones

Question 16

Working memory

Answer 16

The kind of memory that is used for temporarily storing and managing information required to carry out a task

Question 17

Fluid intelligence

Answer 17

The ability to think logically and solve problems which is independent of acquired knowledge of experienced

Question 18

Crystallised intelligence

Answer 18

The ability to apply acquired skills knowledge and experience to novel situations

Question 19

Theory

Answer 19

A set of predispositions about a psychological phenomenon (e.g. Intelligence) which forms the basis on an explanation

Question 20

Validity

Answer 20

The extent to which a test measured what it has been designed to measure

Question 21

Eugenics movement

Answer 21

A movement that advocated the improvement of human genetic traits through the promotion of reproduction of people with desired traits and limiting the reproduction of people with undesirable traits

Question 22

Scientific racism

Answer 22

The manipulation of scientific theories and methods to justify the belief in racial superiority or inferiority

Question 23

Genetic code

Answer 23

The rules which govern how information encoded within genetic material (the DNA) will be translated into proteins, the building blocks of any living organism

Question 24

Heritability

Answer 24

The extent to which differences in a trait, characteristic or ability within a population is due to genetic differences

Question 25

Human genome

Answer 25

The complete set of genetic information contained in the human DNA

Question 26

Ethics

Answer 26

Principles that determine right and wrong conduct. In psychological research ethics refers to the codes and principles that researchers should adhere to

Question 27

Heritability estimate

Answer 27

An estimate of the extent to which variability in intelligence in the population is accounted for by variability in genes

Question 28

Equal environment assumption

Answer 28

The assumption in twin studies that twin pairs raised together experience roughly equal environments

Question 29

Learning disability

Answer 29

Significant impairment in the ability to learn new information and skills, understand new or complex information, or to cope independently with the demands of everyday life

Question 30

Learning difficulties

Answer 30

Specific problems with reading, or understanding numbers, for example which can prevent someone from reaching educational or academic goals but are not linked to general intellectual functioning

Question 31

Euphemism treadmill

Answer 31

The process whereby a word introduced to replace an offensive word over time itself becomes offensive, and is then replaced by another

Question 32

Personality

Answer 32

A persons stable and enduring traits and characteristics which lead them to behave in a steady way over time