Human Intelligence Flashcards
What is cognition compared to intelligence
- Intelligence is a complex characteristic of cognition
History of intelligence testing
Galton - interested in the hereditary nature of intelligence. For example, reaction time, sight, hearing
Binet - identified children in the French school system who needed extra schooling
Spearman - used two factor analysis s and g and thought g reflected deeper mental energy
Wechsler - WAIS produces IQ score to identify educational difficulties - asked historical questions as well as common knowledge questions also simple maths questions
What is IQ?
mental age/ chronological age x 100
- mental age is measure of intelligence relative to people of the same age group
- chronological age is your actual age
- IQ scores follow a normal distribution with the majority of the population falling between 70 and 130
Raven’s Progressive Matrices (1938)
- developed a test free of cultural influences and language
- referred to as non verbal reasoning
- several sets which get increasingly difficult
- the test was a blessing to produce a standardised IQ score
Crystallised vs Fluid intelligence
- Crystallised Intelligence, increases throughout life e.g. verbal wais
- Fluid intelligence, reasoning based and stabilises in adulthood e.g. Ravens Matrices
Are IQ tests fair
- IQ of citizens in different countries around the world to vary, this could be as a result of cultural bias.
- Belkhir even says that it is scientific racism within psychology.
- For a cultural free IQ test it has been suggested that mazes would work, however some indigenous people may have never even been in a hallway.
Is it possible to make ourselves more intelligent
- Working memory training, could help with language abilities.
- Engle 2002, did find a possible link with fluid intelligence and working memory ability
Does brain training actually work?
- There have been many studies which suggest there is not evidence to support the idea that brain training improves IQ, (Owen et al)
- Transfer effects are unlikely but training effects may be seen.
- With the brain training tasks it is likely that you just improve on the actual task not your IQ in general i.e. counting tasks means you get better at counting
What is the Flynn Effect
- Continued year on year rise of intelligence test scores in all parts if the world
- When comparing old and new test versions, the same group of test takers would find the old version easier.
Example of Flynn study
- Flynn looked across 73 studies
- Used Stanford Binet test between 1932-1978
- IQ scores had raised by 14 points
- it isn’t as a result of schooling as culture free tests completed outside of the US also show the same results (the biggest rises were in Raven’s intelligence tests compared to others)
Explanations for the Flynn affect
- It could be suggested that intelligence tests don’t actually measure intelligence but instead they just correlate with intelligence
- could be possible that abstract problem solving abilities have improved rather than intelligence
- Unlikely it’s genetics
Five key explanations (Flynn affect)
Cognitive stimulation hypotheses:
- Schooling
- Test taking sophistication
- Parenting style
- Technology
Nutrition hypothesis:
- Nutrition
Schooling (Flynn affect)
- time spent in school has risen
- although this would explain verbal knowledge rather than non verbal
Test taking sophistication (Flynn affect)
- we understand tests better now
- school exams are a massive deal now, spend life preparing for them and constantly examined
- can do online IQ tests
Parenting Style (Flynn affect)
- more focus on intelligence
- parents do more to nurture intelligence
- There are some programmes for disadvantaged children although it has been shown that the gains are only short term.
