Intelligence, Health and Wellbeing, 5A

Question 1

Defining Intelligence

Answer 1

Intelligence is a latent construct that refers to mental ability.
Early definitions include abstract thinking (Terman, 1916) and the ability to learn and adjust to the environment (Calvin, 1923).
Boring (1923) stated that intelligence tests measure intelligence.
Wechsler (1953) defined intelligence as a global concept involving purposeful action, rational thinking, and effective adaptation to the environment.
Gottfredson (2000) described intelligence as the general ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, learn quickly, and learn from experience.

Question 2

IQ (Intelligence Quotient)

Answer 2

IQ originally represented the deviation of mental age from chronological age.
Wechsler (1975) redefined IQ as a standardized score showing deviation from the average score of 100.
IQ scores are normally distributed with a standard deviation of 15.

Question 3

G (General) Intelligence

Answer 3

Charles Spearman proposed the concept of G (general) intelligence, which is a common mental energy underlying performance on various tests.
G intelligence suggests that there is an underlying factor influencing performance across different cognitive tasks.

Question 4

Hierarchy of Intelligence

Answer 4

There is no consensus on the precise hierarchical structure or content of intelligence.
Different theories propose various levels or domains of intelligence, but there is ongoing debate and research in this area

Question 5

IQ and Correlations

Answer 5

IQ correlates with academic achievement, job performance, and longevity.
Cognitive epidemiology examines cognition/IQ as a correlate of health and mortality.
Longitudinal studies help establish causal relationships and control for confounding factors like socioeconomic status (SES).

Question 6

Scottish Birth Cohort Studie

Answer 6

The Scottish Mental Survey Committee conducted tests in 1932 and 1947 to measure the mental ability of Scottish children.
Samples of participants from these tests were traced and recruited for cohort studies.
The Moray House Test, consisting of various items, was used to measure IQ at age 10/11

Question 7

IQ and Longevity

Answer 7

Whalley and Deary (2001) found a significant correlation between age-11 IQ and age of death after controlling for childhood SES.
Higher childhood IQ is associated with increased longevity.

Question 8

Cognitive Epidemiology and IQ

Answer 8

Various cohort studies, such as the Swedish Conscripts Study, the Nun Study, and the Danish Metropolit Study, have examined the relationship between IQ and mortality.
Higher IQ in early life is linked with lower mortality rates, even after adjusting for childhood SES

Question 9

IQ and Happiness

Answer 9

Studies on the relationship between IQ and happiness have yielded mixed results.
Ali et al. (2013) found that higher IQ predicts a higher likelihood of being happy, and this relationship is mediated by factors such as dependency in daily activities, income, neurotic symptoms, self-reported health, marital status, and social participation.
Further research is needed to examine these mechanisms longitudinally.