Intelligence (Test Tues. 2/11/25) Flashcards
Younghood Kim
Smartest man on Record, born 1989, had an IQ of 276. 130 and over is considered genius.
Intelligence
-The capacity to acquire and apply knowledge or skills, is genetic with some environmental factors.
-This is only a score, being smart depends on what you DO most of all.
Fixed vs growth mindset
-Fixed- Belief that abilities are innate and unchangeable from birth.
-Growth- Belief that a person’s basic abilities can develop through hard work. Brains and talent are just a starting point.
What is considered “smart”?
Intelligence, creativity, reaction time, memory, wisdom, etc.
Stanford-Binet
The 1st intelligence test with scores used to classify school children (particularly immigrants) in the US. Used to see if kids should go in the “slow” or “smart” class.
Intelligence Quotient
IQ. Math formula-
Mental age(test score)/chronological age * 100
Ex. A 6 year old scores that of a 12 year old and therefore has an IQ of 200.
Past around 16-18 this age scoring thing doesn’t work as well.
Intellectually disabled
IQ of below 70. The name was changed from the Stanford-Binet names of retard, moron, imbecile, and idiot, all now considered insults.
Average IQ
100
Wechsler intelligence scales for adults and children
-Wechler’s method is the most widely used intelligence test in the world.
-Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)- Used verbal questions and performance
-Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)- Moreso asking questions with patterns and pictures (6-16 year olds)
Howard Gardner
Multiple intelligences/abilities in 8 different fields.
(Existential, linguistic, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical-mathmatical, and naturalistic)
Charles Spearman
2-factor theory-
-G-factor: Foundation in intelligence (general intelligence) is the ability to reason and solve problems.
-S-factor: Specific intelligence. Specific knowledge and skills needed to answer things like test questions.
Normal distribution IQ
-For world population (N), the bell curve standard deviation is 15 points and 68% of world pop. falls in 1 SD, 96% fall within 2 SD’s.
-Below 70 IQ is intellectually disabled, while above 130 is considered genius (now called gifted).
Savant syndrome
Occurs rarely in intellectually disabled people where they have an “island of genius”. Whatever skill it is, it’s always linked to massive memory.
Eugenics
Limiting human breeding so only desirable traits are passed on.
Margaret Sanger
Eugenicist and 20th century woman’s rights activist who agreed with Hitler.
Lewis Terman
-Eugenicist. He modified the Stanford-Binet method and used it to evaluate adults during WWII drafting.
-He also began the longest longitudinal study ever to see if there was a correlation between IQ/intelligence and achievement.
-There was no correlation, but high IQ does have to do with saving and investing, leading to a higher net worth overall.
Creativity
-Recombination. Ability to use information so it’s original and useful/meaningful.
-A high IQ doesn’t necessarily mean you’re creative, but an IQ of 110 (above average) positively correlates with being more creative.
-Creative people often have mental issues/psychological disorders (sometimes suicidal), but there are directionality issues with this. Creativity can basically come at a price for some.
Perseverance
-The ability to not quit even when things get hard. It is the most agreed upon important trait for success.
-To push a child to persevere, praise them for good work ethic, not just the result of their work.
Best indicator for college success (graduating)
-A high high school GPA, not ACT/SAT scores. This shows that a student can push through 4 years rather than just one day of testing.
-A GPA of 1.5 or less has a 20% college graduation rate, while a GPA of 3.5 and over has an 80% graduation rate.
Wisdom
-Ability to use intelligence at the right time for the right reason. Comes with age.
-Good judgment (wisdom) often comes from sad experiences, which in turn come from bad judgment.
Paul Baltes
Wisdom dilemmas. Discovered that age has a high positive correlation.
Changes in IQ
Changes in IQ over life trends tend to stay the same but can’t usually be measured until age 3 because of an underdeveloped hippocampus.
Crystallized vs fluid intelligence
Crystallized- Overall knowledge level (wisdom and the ability to use knowledge). Increases with age.
Fluid- Being able to think critically like in math and science. Decreases with age.
Flynn Effect
-James Flynn did a meta-analysis.
-Over the last 60 years intelligence scores have risen by 27 points, which Flynn says is because we are better at abstract problem-solving and at taking tests, not necessarily because we’re all smarter.
-Currently, SAT scores are actually trending down.
GCT
General competency test used for things like the military
Epigenetics
Study of how the environment affects genetic expression. Ex. A person may be genetically predisposed to being an alcoholic, but will never be one if they don’t drink.
Heritability
-The extent to which a trait’s variation in a group can be attributed to genetics. Ex.
-High heritability: Intelligence, blood type, eye color
-Moderate heritability: Weight, mental disorders
-Low heritability: language, religion
Best people to study when looking at environmental impacts on genetics:
-Separated twins (especially identical) and adopted children.
-Separated identical twins have high positively correlated intelligence
-Unrelated adopted children in the same family show positive intelligence correlation
Environment’s impact on performance
-Environment does impact performance, but it’s more useful in evaluating effort, perseverance, and organization.
-Parental expectations/accountability also play a large part in any testing environment (school, sports, etc.)
Environmental factors that affect IQ:
-Prenatal nutrition supplements (+3 IQ points)
-Quality preschool (+4 IQ points)
-Reading programs (+6 IQ points)
Gender and IQ
-Females: Score within 2 SD’s, 68% of IQ scores (more squished on a chart), tend to be more emotionally intelligent, possibly related to estrogen
-Males: Have more scores outside of the 2 SD’s (scores are more spread out on a chart), tend to be better at math and spatial skills, possibly related to testosterone
Psychometric principles of testing
Standardization, reliability, viability, and bias
Bias
-Psychometric principle of testing. Predicts future performance, but only for certain groups. Minority groups around the world tend to not do as well as the majority.
-Testing should be unbiased and predictive, not based on gender, race, etc.
Stereotype lift/boost vs threat
-Lift/boost: Increasing test performance because a person believes they’re part of a higher-performing group.
-Threat: Decreases test performance because a person believes they’re part of a lower-performing group.
Construct and predictive validity
Construct- Does the test measure what it’s supposed to measure?
Predictive- Does the test accurately predict future performance (a test can have different validities for different things).
Split half-reliability
-You should be able to split a test in half and still have high correlation between scores of the two halves. Not all tests are supposed to be like this.
-To be properly split-half, the test halves need to have a minimum of +0.7 correlation.
In order to standardize a test…
- Standard procedures- The test must be given and scored in the same way every time.
- You must establish norms in scoring (standards to compare to others scores).
Aptitude vs achievement test constructions
Aptitude- Predicts future ability
Achievement- Measures what a person already knows
