Intelligence and Its Measurement

Question 1

Humorous reference to gifted children who participated in Lewis M. Terman’s study of intelligence initiated in 1916

Answer 1

“Termites”

Question 2

(1) In Piagetian theory, one of two basic mental operations through which humans learn, this one involving change from what is already known, perceived, or thought to fit with new information (contrast with assimilation); (2) in assessment, the adaptation of a test, procedure, or situation, or the substitution of one test for another, to make the assessment more suitable for an assessee with exceptional needs; (3) in the workplace, modification of or adjustments to job functions or circumstances

Answer 2

Accommodation

Question 3

A brightening and widening of the eyes in response to a stimulus, indicative of an infant’s capacity for responsiveness

Answer 3

Alerting response

Question 4

In Piagetian theory, one of two basic mental operations through which humans learn, this one involving the active organization of new information into what is already perceived, known, and thought; contrast with accommodation

Answer 4

Assimilation

Question 5

A phenomenon or consequence arising from the fact that the items at the high end or the more difficult end of a test are not “high enough” or difficult enough to accurately gauge the variable being measured in persons who are at the very high end of the variable being measured

Answer 5

Ceiling effect

Question 6

Evaluation that employs tests from different test batteries and entails interpretation of data from specified tests to provide a comprehensive assessment

Answer 6

Cross-battery assessment

Question 7

In Cattell’s two-factor theory of intelligence, acquired skills and knowledge that are very much dependent on formal and informal education; contrast with fluid intelligence

Answer 7

Crystallized intelligence

Question 8

A test or assessment process designed to minimize the influence of culture on various aspects of the evaluation procedures, such as the administration instructions, the item content, the responses required of the testtaker, and the interpretations made from the resulting data

Answer 8

Culture-fair test

Question 9

In psychometrics, the concept of a test that is devoid of the influence of any particular culture and therefore does not favor people from any culture; more an ideal than an attainable reality, as all tests reflect a culture to greater or lesser degrees

Answer 9

Culture-free test

Question 10

An index of the magnitude to which a test incorporates the vocabulary, concepts, traditions, knowledge, and feelings associated with a particular culture

Answer 10

Culture loading

Question 11

A popularization of aspects of Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, with emphasis on the notions of interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence

Answer 11

Emotional intelligence

Question 12

A class of mathematical procedures, frequently employed as data reduction methods, designed to identify variables on which people may differ (or factors). In measurement, two types of factor analysis are common, exploratory factor analysis and con-firmatory factor analysis

Answer 12

Factor analysis

Question 13

In Cattell’s two-factor theory of intelligence, nonverbal abilities, less dependent on culture and formal instruction than crystallized intelligence; contrast with crystallized intelligence

Answer 13

Fluid intelligence

Question 14

“Intelligence inflation”; the fact that intelligence measured using a normed instrument rises each year after the test was normed, usually in the absence of any academic dividend

Answer 14

Flynn effect

Question 15

In Spearman’s two-factor theory of intelligence, the general factor of intelligence; the factor that is measured to greater or lesser degrees by all tests of intelligence; contrast with s and group factors

Answer 15

g factor

Question 16

Fluid-crystallized intelligence as described in the Cattell-Horn model, Carroll’s three-stratum theory, and other models

Answer 16

GF-Gc

Question 17

After P. Witty, performance that is consistently remarkable in any positively valued area

Answer 17

Giftedness

Question 18

A term usually applied to a theoretical model organized into two or more layers, with each layer subsumed by or incorporated in the preceding layer; for example, Carroll’s three-stratum theory of cognitive abilities is a hierarchical model with g as the top layer, followed by two layers of cognitive abilities and processes

Answer 18

Hierarchical model

Question 19

A simple yet controversial term that has been defined in many ways, such as: a multifaceted capacity that manifests itself in different ways across the life-span but in general includes the abilities and capacities to acquire and apply knowledge, to reason effectively and logically, to exhibit sound judgment, to be perceptive, intuitive, mentally alert, and able to find the right words and thoughts with facility, and to be able to cope with and adjust to new situations and new types of problems

Answer 19

Intelligence

Question 20

The belief that heredity and environment interact to influence the development of one’s mental capacity and abilities

Answer 20

Interactionism

Question 21

In Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, the ability to understand other people, what motivates them, how they work, and how to work cooperatively with them; contrast with intrapersonal intelligence

Answer 21

Interpersonal intelligence

Question 22

In Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, a capacity to form accurate self-perceptions, to discriminate accurately between emotions, and to be able to draw upon one’s emotions as a means of understanding and an effective guide

Answer 22

Intrapersonal intelligence

Question 23

(continued) pre-injury levels after brain damage; contrast with vulnerable abilities

Answer 23

Maintained abilities

Question 24

An index, now seldom used, that refers to the chronological age equivalent of one’s performance on a test or subtest; derived by reference to norms indicating the age at which most testtakers can pass or meet some performance criterion with respect to individual or groups of items

Answer 24

Mental age

Question 25

A method of peer appraisal in which members of a class, team, work unit, or other type of group are asked to select (or nominate) people in response to a question or statement

Answer 25

Nominating technique

Question 26

Indicative of an infant’s capacity for responsiveness, the action of turning in the direction of a stimulus; contrast with alerting response

Answer 26

Orienting response

Question 27

Information processing model developed by Luria, PASS standing for planning, attention, simultaneous, and successive

Answer 27

PASS model

Question 28

The doctrine that one’s abilities are predetermined by genetic inheritance and that no amount of learning or other intervention can enhance what is genetically coded to unfold

Answer 28

Predeterminism

Question 29

The doctrine that all living organisms are preformed at birth and that intelligence, much like other preformed “structures,” cannot be improved upon by environmental intervention

Answer 29

Preformationism

Question 30

Psychological evaluation in a school or other setting, usually conducted to diagnose, remedy, or measure academic or social progress or to otherwise enrich a student’s education

Answer 30

Psychoeducational assessment

Question 31

In Piagetian theory, an action or mental structure that, when applied to the world, leads to knowing or understanding

Answer 31

Schema

Question 32

The plural of schema; as in (in Piagetian theory) “Infants are born with several simple schemata, including sucking and grasping”

Answer 32

Schemata

Question 33

In Spearman’s two-factor theory of intelligence, a specific component of g, such as a specific ability; contrast with g and with group factors

Answer 33

s factor

Question 34

Also called parallel processing; based on Luria’s writings, a type of information processing whereby information is integrated and synthesized all at once and as a whole; contrast with successive processing

Answer 34

Simultaneous processing

Question 35

Also referred to as sequential processing; based on Luria’s writings, a type of information processing whereby information is processed in a sequential, bit-by-bit fashion and arranged and rearranged until it is logical; contrast with simultaneous processing

Answer 35

Successive processing

Question 36

With reference to personality assessments of infants,the distinguishing manner of the child’s observable actions and reactions

Answer 36

Temperament

Question 37

John B. Carroll’s conception of mental abilities and processing classified by three levels or strata with g at the broadest level, followed by eight abilities or processes at the second level and a number of more narrowly defined abilities and processes at the third

Answer 37

Three-stratum theory of cognitive abilities

Question 38

Spearman’s theory of general intelligence, which postulates the existence of a general intellectual ability factor (g) that is partially tapped by all other mental abilities

Answer 38

Two-factor theory of intelligence

Question 39

In the Cattell-Horn model of intelligence, cognitive abilities that decline with age and that do not return to pre-injury levels after brain damage; contrast with maintained abilities

Answer 39

Vulnerable abilities