Intelligence

Question 1

Define intelligence

Answer 1

ability to direct one’s thinking adapt to one’s changing environment and learning from experience

Question 2

What’s a psychological factor?

Answer 2

a decided mechanism that predicts performance in a specialised domain but not others

Question 3

What is the theory of intelligence as two factors?

Answer 3

• general intelligence factor (g): hypothesis single factors of intelligence that explains aptitude in all domains of knowledge
• specific factors (s): hypothesized separate factors of intelligence that explain aptitude in specialized domains of knowledge on top of g

Question 4

What is the theory of intelligence as many factors?

Answer 4

• Independent factor theories: intelligence is many non overlapping abilities each unrelated to the others
• Correlations between tasks are only due to third variable issues

Question 5

What is intelligence as hybrid theory?

Answer 5

• hybrid theories: intelligence is a group of interrelated factors with g at the top, various middle-level abilities after and specific tasks underneath that
• Fluid intelligence (Gf): learning new information or dealing with novel situations
• Crystallised intelligence (Gc): drawing on experiences from the past

Question 6

What is a standardised test?

Answer 6

• test which has highly controlled and guided admin protocol
• Gives a score that shows your performance relative to the general population

Question 7

What are some units of measurement of intelligence?

Answer 7

• IQ: standard unit of intelligence. 100 is average score and 15 is one standard deviation
• Wechsler Adult intelligence scale: most popular test used today, based on hybrid model of intelligence
• Raven’s progressive matrices: non-verbal intelligence based on matching pictures that follow particular types of rules

Question 8

What is the Wechsler Adult intelligence scale based on?

Answer 8

• general ability index: measure persons intellectual abilities in the absence of time pressure –> verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning
• cognitive proficiency index: measures a person’s intellectual speed and capacity for processing –> working memory and processing speed

Question 9

What are some issues with modern intelligence tests?

Answer 9

• Cultural bias: different cultures have different definitions of intelligence
• Education content of intelligence tests overlaps with school content
• Test taking abilities: are we measuring intelligence or test practice?
• Stereotypes: self fulfilling prophecy > how well someone does depends on their belief in themselves

Question 10

What is genetic variability?

Answer 10

people differ in their genetic makeup

Question 11

What is environmental variability?

Answer 11

people have different lives, grow up with different family styles, go to different schools, etc.

Question 12

How do environment and gens interact?

Answer 12

genetic effects change environments; environments change genetic expression

Question 13

what is genetic determinism?

Answer 13

false belief that if a person carries some set of genes, that their expressed phenotype is fixed and immutable

Question 14

What is the flynn effect?

Answer 14

average intelligence increases with each successive generation due to:
- improved environment
- improved education
- improved test-taking abilities

Question 15

Does intelligence change with age?

Answer 15

intelligence is relatively stable with age
after 50 yo fluid intelligence tends to decrease while crystallized intelligence remains stable

Question 16

Define phrenology

Answer 16

discredited attempt to assess each person’s intelligence by measuring differences in “specialised” brain size through bumps on the skull

Question 17

What is the stanford binet test?

Answer 17

widely used intelligence test for school children.
developed in 1904 in France and then translated into English

Question 18

What is the army alpha/beta test?

Answer 18

2 prominent US army tests for determining each person’s capability as a soldier, leadership, etc
Based on Stanford Binet test: also tested variety of items like rhymes, verbal reasoning, puzzles, knowledge of world facts

Question 19

What were limitations of early intelligence tests?

Answer 19

• Intelligence measured as achievement not aptitude
• Goal is to quickly segregate people into designated roles or classes
• Not standardized and used for a specific purpose

Question 20

What was the Bell curve (1994)?

Answer 20

book advocating for radical changes in public policy in order to protect high IQ individuals and reduce reproduction amongst low IQ individuals

Question 21

What claims did the bell curve make?

Answer 21

-Intelligence is stable, largely heritable and reliably measured by IQ tests
- Intelligence tests are valid and unbiased
- Intelligence is best predictor of life outcomes, job and school success, etc
- Welfare allows low IQ individuals to have more children, decreasing overall fitness of society

Question 22

What is crystallized intelligece?

Answer 22

ability to apply knowledge that was acquired through experience

Question 23

what is fluid intelligence ?

Answer 23

ability to solve and reason about novel problems

Question 24

Who developed the two-factor theory of intelligence?

Answer 24

Charles Spearman (1904)

Question 25

What is the Theory based approach?

Answer 25

• discovers middle-level abilities by observing the patterns of correlation between people’s performances on different tests.
• Cannot tell us about middle level abilities that the tests themselves don’t require

Question 26

What is emotional intelligence?

Answer 26

the ability to reason about emotions and to use emotions to enhance reasoning

Question 27

How do we measure the influence of genes on IQ?

Answer 27

Heritability coefficient: describes the proportion of the difference between two or more people’s IQ scores that can be explained by differences in their genes

Question 28

What doesn’t the heritability coefficient tell us?

Answer 28

How much of an individual’s intelligence is due to genes and how much due to environment: it is a joint product of both

Question 29

What is a shared environment?

Answer 29

features of the environment that are experiences by all relevant members of a household

Question 30

What is a non-shared environment?

Answer 30

features of the environment that are not experienced by all relevant members of a household

Question 31

How does poverty lower intelligence?

Answer 31

• SES influences the brain itself
• Low SES children have poorer nutrition and medical care, more daily stress and more likely to be exposed to environmental toxins such as air pollution
• Can impact child’s brain development

Question 32

How does school raise intelligence?

Answer 32

• Smart people tend to stay in school
• Staying in school makes people smart
• When schooling is delayed (war, political strife) kids show decline in intelligence

Question 33

How does the presence of an extra chromosome impair intelligence?

Answer 33

• Extra chromosome has 25o genes > one ore more directly impairs development of brain and lowers intelligence