Lecture 2 - Origins of IQ testing

Question 1

Are savant abilities evidence of high intelligence?

Answer 1

• no as someone with savant syndrome typically has a low IQ score
• extraordinary but narrow mental ability is not what is usually considered evidence of high intelligence
• however savant research raises the question on the existence of multiple intelligences in the areas where savants appear e.g music, maths

Question 1

What is Savant syndrome?

Answer 1

• special ability usually accompanied by prodigious memory
• approx 1 in 10 people with autism show savant skills
• e.g. Brittany Mayer could duplicate a song after only hearing it a few times

Question 2

Spearman - 2 factor theory of intelligence?

Answer 2

• argued that there is general intelligence (g) and specific intelligence (s)
• g factor is not the same as IQ

Question 3

g factor?

Answer 3

• is a statistical result
• used to refer to general intelligence, cognitive ability and mental ability
• is more biological/ genetic

Question 4

IQ (intelligence quotient)?

Answer 4

• is a single score representing a range of mental abilities
• influenced by social & cultural factors
• large sample of IQ scores from across the world are normally distributed
• average IQ = 100

Question 5

Early theories of intelligence - Galton?

Answer 5

• interested in showing how individuals differ in intelligence
• believed that intelligence was dealing with information gained through the senses
• founded psychometrics = the science of measuring mental capacities and processes to measure differences in mental ability

Question 6

Early theories of intelligence - Cattell?

Answer 6

• takes Galton’s view on the importance of ‘senses’ for intelligence
• measured simple mental processes
• published a provisional list of 10 mental tests designed to measure individual differences

Question 7

The fall of Cattell’s mental tests?

Answer 7

• Wissler compared Cattell’s mental test scores in UG’s with their grades
• found no correlation between any of Cattell’s mental tests and college grades

Question 8

Early theories of intelligence - Binet?

Answer 8

• asked to design an intelligence test for children by the French government
• created the Binet-Simon scale = 30 short everyday-related tasks
• it used children’s age as an independent criterion of intellectual competence
• e.g. if a child passes the 7 year old test but fails the 8 year old test they are given a ‘mental age’ of 7

Question 9

Early theories of intelligence - Stern?

Answer 9

• examined the ratio between a Childs mental age and physical age
• IQ score = (mental age ÷physical age) x 100
• however mental age is hard to assess after 16 and IQ scores are only meaningful relative to people of the same age
• so researchers devised a new measure called deviation IQ = obtained by dividing a persons test score by the average test score of people in the same age group and then multiplying the quotient by 100
• ratio IQ = for children, deviation IQ = used for adults

Question 10

Stanford-Binet test?

Answer 10

• Terman produced a Stanford revision of the Binet-Simon scale
• it still remains one of the Stanford tests of intelligence
• added 40 new items and far more children are tested in each age group
• however certain answers are open to interpretation

Question 11

Yerkes?

Answer 11

• designed a new IQ test for use by US army
• questions were timed and MC
• the army tests transformed public opinion to mental tests
• tests were used everywhere and a huge sample was tested

Question 12

What are the benefits of using an intelligence test?

Answer 12

• easy to do
• not time consuming
• can test large samples
• standardised