Intelligence - child psychology

Question 1

What is spearman’s definition of intelligence ?

Answer 1

General intelligence ( g factor)

• consistent correlation in children’s performance on series of unrelated tests, tests measure same underlying cognitive ability
• g is basis of human intelligence and accounts for 50% of intelligence/ variance
• specific forms of intelligence like logic and maths known as ‘s’

Question 2

Cattells fluid intelligence

Answer 2

Ability to reason in abstract ways + solve problems logically without experience and declines with age.
-tests of memory/ reasoning

Question 3

Cattells crystallised intelligence

Answer 3

Ability to gain knowledge through learning and experience, increases with age.
-subject specific tests

Question 4

What is Gardners definition of intelligence?

Answer 4

Multiple intelligences

• People don’t have a general intellect but instead have many different kinds of intelligence
• identifies 8 separate intelligences/abilities
• vary in each individual

Question 5

Gardners 8 abilities

Answer 5

• verbal-linguistic
• logical-mathematical
• bodily-kinaesthetic
• musical
• visual-spatial
• interpersonal
• intrapersonal
• naturalistic

Question 6

Validity of intelligence

Answer 6

• -> lack construct validity because if we can’t agree on one definition of intelligence then how do we know that IQ tests are accurate measurements
• -> theoretically constructed as it can’t be measured objectively

Question 7

List biological factors that affect intelligence

Answer 7

• sex –> halpem
• brain structure –>haier
• genes –> Scarr&Wienburg and McGue

Question 8

What did Halpem find about sex differences?

Answer 8

Found evidence to indicate men and women are intelligent in different ways.
Women higher score in knowledge and verbal fluency tests.
Men score higher in mental rotation tasks.
BUT no overall differences in intelligence, just that they display different types of intelligence.

Question 9

What did Haier say about brain structure and intelligence ?

Answer 9

Men more grey matter in frontal and parietal lobes- motor skills and high level reasoning.
Women more GM in different areas of frontal lobe - speech + writing.
BUT men and women similar IQ’s.

Question 10

What did Scarr and Weinburg find about genetics and intelligence?

Answer 10

Compared intellectual abilities of parents and their adopted and biological children.
Found stronger correlation between biological relatives.

Question 11

McGue findings

Answer 11

• IQ concordance for MZ is +0.86 and for DZ twins is +0.60.

- concordance for MZ raised apart is +0.72 which is greater than DZ raised together at +0.60.

Question 12

Issues with twin studies

Answer 12

• assortative mating
• dont measure interaction between genes and environment, parents share environment too with offspring
• concordance is correlation not necessarily cause.

Question 13

Van Leeuwens Aim

Answer 13

measure influence of assortative mating, cultural transmission and genetic-environmental interaction

Question 14

sample

Answer 14

112 families of twins who were 9 from Netherlands twin registry

• also had extra sibling between 9-14
• invited by letter
• no psychiatric problems, major medical problems or physical/sensory disabilities

Question 15

design

Answer 15

extended twin design comparing intelligence test of MZ and Dz twins, full siblings and parents.

Question 16

procedure

Answer 16

Children- SPM-60 problems in 5 sets of 12- non-verbal-measures fluid
Adults-APM-scored out of 36 - written instructions

Question 17

Phenotypic assortment ?

Answer 17

assortative mating happens because choose partner of similar intelligence

Question 18

Social homogamy ?

Answer 18

people with similar intelligence clustered in same environment so more likely to get together

Question 19

How were IQ’s estimated?

Answer 19

results from test estimated using Rasch model so APM and SPM scores could be compared.

Question 20

Results

Answer 20

1. No sex differences
2. MZ more similar than DZ or full siblings
3. Moderative + spousal correlation (0.33), support phenotypic assortment
4. No cultural transmission- environment no effect
5. GE interaction stronger for those with lower IQ

Question 21

Conclusions

Answer 21

1. main influence is genes but environment has larger impact on people with lower IQ.
2. cultural transmission doesn’t influence children IQ
3. Phenotypic assortment better explains spousal resemblance than social homogamy.

Question 22

Usefulness of research

Answer 22

can test at low age to identify low IQ and provide early intervention to develop cognitive skills

Question 23

Evaluate research method

Answer 23

Correlational- not cause

Question 24

Determinism

Answer 24

suggests that genes determine who we mate with and our children intelligence

Question 25

Evaluate Sample

Answer 25

• population validity- 112 families
• ethnocentric- dutch
• both types of twins and siblings used.

Question 26

Ravens Progressive Matrices

Answer 26

measures abstract reasoning + fluid 
non-verbal
Find missing pattern in a series
Qs get harder
Coloured progressive matrices 
Standard progressive matrices 
Advanced progressive matrices