Intelligence Flashcards
Binet’s contribution to intelligence testing
- studied higher mental processes (e.g. memory, problem solving, language, judgements)
- introduced the idea of mental age (i.e. the age you’re performing at)
Who brought intellgence testing to North America?
Louis Terman
Stanford-Binet intelligence test
- originally used IQ and provided 1 general score
- scores now based on deviation (i.e. where a child scores relative to the average at their age) and also provides subscores for specific abilities (e.g. verbal, spatial)
IQ= (mental age/chronological age) x 100
mean score is 100!
Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)
most commonly used!
provides a general score and 5 composite scores (verbal comprehension, visual spatial, fluid reasoning, working memory, processing speed)
used in children and adolescents
- thought Stanford-Binet relied too much on words
- Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) for ages 2 to 6/7
General intelligence (g)
intelligence as a single, overarching ability that influences mutiple abilities/processes that correlate with one another
still little consensus on the definition of intelligence!
2 components of general intelligence
- crystallized intelligence: accumulated knowledge over time (e.g. facts, vocabulary)
- fluid intelligence: ability to think on the spot (e.g. problem-solving, pattern recognition) that tends to decrease with age
Sternberg’s triarchic theory of successful intelligence
3 types
- analytical: mental steps/components used to solve problems
- practical: ability to adapt to everyday life
- creative: use of experience in ways that foster insight (i.e. various perspectives)
Gardner’s multiple intelligences
8 types
musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, naturalistic, intrapersonal, visual-spatial
Psychometric approach to intelligence
our construct of intelligence is measurable, operationalizable, and can be assessed through tests
Factors affecting individual differences in intelligence
- genetics
- gene-environment correlations (e.g. passive, evocative, active)
- environment (e.g. schooling, family/home environment, socioeconomic status, time period)
Examples
* MZ twins show a high correlation in IQ even when raised apart
* MZ twins show increases in IQ similarity with age while DZ twins show decreases (possibly due to active effects)
Factors affecting group differences in IQ
- sex/gender (e.g. girls have a verbal advantage; boys have spatial/math advantage)
- race (e.g. White individuals score higher on average)
- more variation in IQ scores among males!
- gender difference in spatial abilities (e.g. mental rotation task) doesn’t show up until age 6/7
How are racial differences in IQ scores often interpreted?
as a “genetic advantage” for higher-scoring groups
i.e. some racial groups are intellectually superior
but this isn’t accurate science! race is socially, not genetically, constructed
Why do we see racial differences in IQ?
- differences in socioeconomic status (e.g. access to resources)
- culturally-biased tests
- stereotype threat
Stereotype threat
- we belong to social groups associated with stereotypes related to intelligence and our awareness of these stereotypes can impact our thoughts and performance
- a psychological burden caused by the concern that one’s behavior or performance might confirm a negative stereotype about one’s group (Steele)
e.g. girls in lower elementary primed with their Asian identity perform better on math test and perform worse when primed with their gender identity (but girls in upper elementary perform better when primed with their gender identity!)
Stages of experiencing stereotype threat
- awareness of negative beliefs about own group
- stress response, self-regulation of negative thoughts/emotions, monitoring of performance
- impaired performance
How is IQ testing conducted today?
- administered and scored by trained professionals
- very strict guidelines
- more tests are continuously re-normed for the population being tested (e.g. a culturally diverse Canadian-based sample) to retermine what a IQ of 100 means
i.e. scoring system is adjusted to reflect changes in the population’s cognitive abilities and keep the mean at 100
Where is IQ testing used today?
in some schools/regions, used to qualify for:
* learning disability diagnosis and access to support
* access to special education classes
* access to giftedness programs and support
sometimes used in court cases and policy-making (e.g. drawing a “bright line” where prisoners with an IQ above 70 qualify for execution)
3 ways to tell if an IQ test is a good measure of intelligence
- reliability
- validity
- lack of bias
2 aspects of reliability in IQ testing
- split-half reliability: similar scores in both halves of the test shows internal consistency
- test-retest reliability: similar scores across time; becomes less reliable with greater gaps in time
IQ tests are fairly reliable across time (e.g. can predict even decades later)!
2 aspects of validity in IQ testing
- content & construct validity: whether the questions and the test actually measure intelligence
- predictive validity: whether it predicts correlates to intelligence (e.g. academic success)
e.g. IQ tests are good at predicting military training success and high complexity job performance
2 aspects of lack of bias in IQ testing
- content-validity bias: whether the test is equally valid across cultures
- predictive-validity bias: whether the test is equally predictive of outcomes in different groups
What variables are IQ scores correlated with?
job performance, attitudes, health, mortality, etc.
IQ testing as a tool for research
lead example
- kids consume flaking paint because of their sweet taste
- initially believe that only large amounts of lead are toxic
- researchers found that even small amounts are associated with drops in IQ
changes or differences in IQ can be used to study the impact of poverty, exposure to violence or pollution, the impact of breaks from schooling, etc.
Limitations of IQ testing
- may not actually measure intelligence
- test performance is sensitive to other factors (e.g. incentivized by money, coaching)
- bias in testing (e.g. cultural difference between test-maker and test-taker)
led to the development of culture-blind tests
Problem with bias in IQ testing
our tendency to interpret IQ scores as evidence of a person’s underlying mental ability instead of their cultural knowledge, motivation, coaching, stress level, hunger, etc.
Eugenics
the idea that heritable human characteristics must be controlled, through breeding, to improve the human species
or the science of improving stock (Galton)
History of IQ tests being used and developed for eugenics
- used to sort (e.g. new military recruits given IQ tests to classify them as an officer or part of infantry)
- used to stratify and create racial hierarchies
- used for policies on forced sterilization (i.e. eliminating one’s ability to procreate) and marriage restrictions
e.g. Sterilization of Leilani Muir: was deemed a danger of transmitting mental defects by Alberta Eugenics Board (IQ of 64) and was forcibly sterilized (her fallopian tubes were removed)
Fixed vs growth mindsets
- fixed (entity theory): intelligence and talent are fixed at birth
- growth (incremental theory): intelligence and talent can increase or decrease; taught through intervention = linked with better academic performance
- predicts responses to challenges and failure, and associated with academic outcomes
- benefit of growth mindset is controversial due to replication crisis
How can we improve IQ testing?
- improvements in test structure/design to counteract stereotype threat (e.g. dynamic assessment)
- mindfulness training to manage anxiety
- changes in how we think about IQ (e.g. how scores are interpreted, encouraging a growth mindset)
dynamic assessment aims to examine learning potential by testing how much a child can learn with assistance
Who might growth mindsets be beneficial for?
- more impact for low-achieving students
- when teachers and peers are also supportive of growth mindset beliefs
- when the context allows for growth (e.g. classes at school)
cross-cultural differences!
