Intelligence Flashcards
Intelligence is…
multi-faceted and culturally defined
Define intelligence
The application of cognitive skills and knowledge to learn, solve problems, and achieve goals that are valued by an individual or culture.
Who theorised there were multiple types of intelligence?
Howard Gardener
What types of intelligence’s did Gardener theorise there were in 1983? (8)
Linguistic
Logical-mathematical
Musical
Spatial
Bodily-kinaesthetic
Naturalistic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Define linguistic intelligence
ability to perceive and generate spoken or written language e.g. debating
Define logical-mathematical intelligence
ability to appreciate and use numerical, abstract, and logical reasoning to solve problems e.g. acocunting
Define musical intelligence
ability to create, communicate and understand meaning made with sound e.g. playing or composing music
Define spatial intelligence
ability to perceive, modify, transform and create visual or spatial images e.g. architecture, puzzling
Define bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence
ability to use all or part of one’s body to solve problems or make somthing e.g. craftspeople, dancers
Define naturalistic intelligence
ability to recognise and classify objects in the natural environment e.g. biologist
Define interpersonal intelligence
ability to recognise, appreciate and dispute feelings, beliefs and intentions of other people e.g. leaders
Define intrapersonal intelligence
ability to understand onself - emotions, desires, strengths, weaknesses e.g. self-aware people
Define emotional intelligence
The ability to understand the emotions of yourself and others, show empathy, understand social relationships and cues, and regulate your own emotions and respond in culturally appropriate ways.
What does the emotional intelligence model suggest?
that emotions are valuable sources of information that can help people operate in a social context.
What do some say about emotional intelligence?
People with high emotional intelligence typically have well-developed social skills. Some researchers argue that emotional intelligence is a better predictor of success than traditional intelligence.
What is the information processing theory?
The information-processing (or cognitive) theory of intelligence tries to understand the processes that underlie intelligent behaviour. It looks at the ‘how’ of intelligence.
How does the information processing theory define intelligence?
It defines intelligence as a process rather than a measurable quantity and suggests that individual differences in intelligence reflect differences in the cognitive operations people use in thinking.
What three variables of particular importance in explaining individual differences seen on intelligence test have researchers focused on?
Speed of processing
Knowledge base
Ability to acquire and apply cognitive strategies
Explain speed of processing
We commonly use the adjective slow to describe people who perform poorly in school or on similar tasks, and describe more skilled performers as quick. In fact, processing speed is an important aspect of intelligence and a strong correlate of IQ.
Supporting the view of ‘mental quickness’ as a component of intelligence, response time in tasks such as this correlates with measures of academic achievement.
Explain knowledge base
Variation among individuals in intellectual functioning also reflects variation in their knowledge base — the information stored in long-term memory. Differences in knowledge base include the amount of knowledge, the way it is organised, and its accessibility for retrieval
Explain ability to acquire and apply cognitive strategies
The ability to acquire mental strategies (ways of solving problems) and apply them to new situations is also involved in intelligence. Cognitive strategies are essential for many everyday tasks, from remembering grocery lists to calculating a 15% public holiday surcharge to a bill.
What is an advantage of information processing theory?
it can be tested under controlled experimental conditions and can provide empirical support
What is the downside to information processing theory
it is less focused than other contextual theories on understanding the influence of culture on intelligence
What is IQ?
the quotient (ratio) of mental age to chronological age
What did German psychologist William Stern develop?
the intelligence quotient (IQ) to simplify the results of the Binet-Simon scale
Formula for IQ
IQ = mental age (MA)/chronological age (CA)
Mental age (MA)
age an individual is based on the results of an intelligence test (Binet-Simon)
Chronological age (CA)
age of the individual in years
Who modified Binet’s work to suit American children due to cultural/language differences)?
Stanford professor, Lewis Terman
What did Lewis Terman do?
Standardised the administration of the test and tested thousands of children to establish an average score for each age
Norming and standardising the test also ensures that new scores are
reliable
As a result of large scale testing of children, the test was standardised and normed —>
the range of scores resulted in a normal distribution (bell curve). The resulting data provided reference scores to interpret future scores.
This new version of the test was called _________
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale is…
widely used today and can be used for individuals aged 2+ years
What are the five cognitive abilities the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale tests as verbal and non-verbal components?
Visual-spatial processing
Quantitative reasoning
Fluid reasoning
Knowledge
Working memory
The original Standford-Binet intelligence test only assessed ________
children
What did psychologist David Wechsler publish in 1955?
a new IQ test that could be used on adults and relied less on verbal skills (allowed better assessment of individuals from different cultures)
Why did Wechsler combine subtests from other intelligence tests that tapped into a variety of verbal and nonverbal skills?
Because Wechsler believe that intelligence encompassed “the global capacity of a person to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment”
Weshsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale
- became one of the most extensively used intelligence tests
- later changed to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and revised several times
What are the three intelligence tests credited to Wechsler
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale fourth edition (WAIS-IV)
Used for people 16+ years of age
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children fifth edition (WISC-V)
Used for children 6-16 years of age
Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence fourth edition (WPPSI-IV)
Used for children 2.5-7 years of age
The tests Wechsler are credited are…
used widely in schools and communities, and they are period ically normed and standardised as a means of recalibration
Why did Wechsler abandon the concept of mental age
it didn’t work for adults
What did Wechsler use instead of mental age?
a frequency distribution to describe an individual’s IQ relative to the scores of peers of equivalent age
The results of intelligence tests follow the bell curve, which demonstrates…
the normal distribution of intelligence, in the human population
What are the two key attributes of a psychological test?
Validity and reliability
What does the validity of a psychological refer to?
its ability to assess the construct it was designed to measure
If ‘intelligence’ means the kind of mental ability that allows people to succeed in school, then…
intelligence tests have considerable validity
How is IQ, measured from intelligence test, related to school grades?
strongly related, showing a correlation coefficient between .60 and .70
What do critics claim about intelligence tests?
that they measure factors other than intelligence
What can cause discrepancies in test scores that are not based on intelligence?
environmental factors, such as quality of education and school systems
Standardised IQ tests cannot measure…
all possible cultural representations of intelligence
Intelligence tests only assess
an individual’s test-taking skills rather than their intelligence
IQ tests are a
- highly Westerinsed contruct
- culturally and linguistically biased against those who do not come from a Western, middle-class, English-speaking background
Reliability refers to…
a measure’s ability to produce consistent results. Thus an individual should receive approximately the same score on a test given at two different times, assuming that the individual’s level of ability has not changed in the interim
Do tests of intelligence such as the WAIS-IV have high reliability?
Yes
What is done to ensure intelligence tests are normal distribution and average IQ of 100?
periodically normed and standardised
Nurtured intelligence
In humans, some of the best predictors of a child’s performance on tests of IQ and language in the toddler and preschool years include an enriched home environment, positive mother-child interactions that foster interest and exploration, and maternal knowledge about child rearing and child development
Nature intelligence
The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart is one of the most well-known twin studies. In this investigation, researchers found that identical twins raised together, and identical twins raised apart exhibit a higher correlation between their IQ scores than siblings or fraternal twins raised together. The findings from this study reveal a genetic component to intelligence.
Bouchard’s longitudinal studies (since 1979) of monozygotic (MZ) (identical) twins reared apart.
Sample consisted of over 100 sets of twins or triplets from across the USA, UK and other regions
The recruitment method was usually by ‘snowball sampling’, in which twins reared apart are brought to the study by friends, relatives or members of the adoption movement
A correlational research design was used
This review found that about 70% of the variance in intelligence quotient (IQ) was associated with genetic variation and strong heritability of most psychological traits
