Differential Psychology Flashcards
What is psychometrics?
The science of measuring mental capacities and processes
Who was the discoverer of the general intelligence factor, g?
Charles Spearman
What statistical technique did Charles Spearman invent?
Factor analysis
What did factor analysis provide evidence for?
A general cognitive factor (aka g)
How is ratio IQ calculated?
(Mental age/physical age)*100
What is the average IQ score?
100
What is used to describe intelligence levels of children?
Ratio IQ
What is used to describe intelligence levels of adults?
Deviation IQ
What does deviation IQ show?
How much an individual deviates from the average IQ
Why was the first intelligence test created?
To identify children who needed remedial educational programs
Why is the two-factor theory of intelligence important?
Suggests intelligence is not a single, general ability
What are the two factors of intelligence?
General ability (g) and specific ability (s)
What is a savant?
Individual with low intelligence but extraordinary ability typically in one general area
Who has higher intelligence: savant or prodigy?
Prodigy has higher intelligence
What is the term for identical twins?
Monozygotic twins
How are monozygotic twins formed?
Splitting of a single zygote
What is the term for non-identical twins?
Fraternal or dizygotic twins
How are dizygotic twins formed?
Develop from two separate zygotes
What is the Flynn effect?
While intelligence decreases across a single lifespan, it increases across generations
What are possible causes of the Flynn effect?
Better nutrition, schooling etc
Who has higher heritability factor: wealthy or poor children?
Wealthy
Why do wealthy children have higher heritability factor?
Likely due to them having fairly similar environments including ample nutrition, homes with books
What is common between children raised in the same household?
They have a shared environment
What can influence intelligence?
Environment and genes
How do results from vocab or verbal reasoning tests differ between the ages of 18 and 70?
Very little change
What shape is created when ratio IQ is plotted on a graph?
Bell curve
What is the best predictive test of how well a prospective employee will perform?
Intelligence test
What is personality?
An individual’s characteristic style of behaving, thinking and feeling
In studies of identical twins reared apart, what was more predictive of differences in personalities: nonshared or shared environmental factors?
Nonshared environmental factors were more predictive of differences in personalities
What did Jeffrey Gray develop?
A model of personality based on physiological arousal
In Jeffrey Gray’s model, what controls neuroticism?
Behavioural inhibition system (BIS)
In Jeffrey Gray’s model, what controls extraversion?
Behavioural activation system (BAS)
What were Jeffrey Gray’s ideas based on?
Approach and avoidance studies
Which of the five factors of personality shows the highest degree of heritability?
Extraversion
What did Freud believe to be the default defence mechanism?
Repression
What did Freud believe repression did?
Pushed issues we don’t want to deal with into the unconscious mind
What is self-verification?
Tendency to overcompensate for others judgements in order to confirm self-concept
What is self-concept?
Our explicit knowledge of our own behaviours, traits and other personal characteristics
What is self-esteem?
Our feelings (as opposed to knowledge) regarding the self
What are self-loathing and self-verification?
Processes (not knowledge bases)
What is narcissism?
A grandiose view of the self combined with the tendency to seek admiration from and exploit others
How many words did Allport and Odbert catalogue that could be used to describe personality traits?
18,000
What are the two sets of anchors for the trait dimensions in Hans Eysenck’s model of personality traits?
Emotional and stable; introverted and extraverted
What part of the brain is not easily stimulated in extraverts?
The reticular formation
What part of the brain is easily stimulated in introverts?
The reticular formation
That is the reticular formation responsible for?
Regulating alertness and arousal
What did Carl Rogers believe was necessary for healthy personality development?
Unconditional positive regard
What were the Lothian Birth Cohort Studies set up to address?
What factors cause some people’s cognitive abilities to decline more than others in later life
What was an observation made by Roberts et al?
Sex differences in the specific changes and their extents were more important than differences in how men and women changed over time
