lecture 4 - personality and IQ testing Flashcards
measurement 1
Up to the late 19th century, psychological features were measured based on the outer features of the human body.
Unfortunately, they lacked precision, reliability and flexibility.
They also tended to include only the lowest level of measurement: nominal data.
measurement 2
Enter Sir Francis Galton (1822 – 1911), who coined the term ‘psychometrics’ to describe new ways of measuring psychological attributes (questionnaires, surveys, reaction times etc.).
Psychometric testing
Psychometrics is a field that’s concerned with theories and techniques of psychological measurement.
Psychometrics is mostly concerned with studying the difference between people.
Personality tests
These measure and reveal certain aspects of a person’s personality or inner make-up.
Aptitude tests
These measure people’s knowledge and reasoning in language, mathematics, patterns, and spatial awareness.
personality big 5
neuroticism
openness
conscientiousness
extraversion
agreeableness
Example essay questions
- Why are people becoming more intelligent over time?
Personality testing causes more harm than good. Discuss.
“Massive IQ Gains in 14 Nations: What IQ Tests Really Measure” by James R. Flynn: 1. The Flynn Effect: Massive IQ Gains Across Generations
- IQ scores have increased significantly over time in multiple countries (5 to 25 points per generation).
- Some of the largest gains occurred on culture-reduced tests (e.g., Raven’s Progressive Matrices) and fluid intelligence tests.
This challenges the idea that intelligence is fixed or solely genetic.
- Some of the largest gains occurred on culture-reduced tests (e.g., Raven’s Progressive Matrices) and fluid intelligence tests.
“Massive IQ Gains in 14 Nations: What IQ Tests Really Measure” by James R. Flynn: 2. Data from 14 Nations
- The study collected data from 14 countries to compare IQ changes over time.
- Methods included reviewing military test scores, national intelligence surveys, and standardized test results.
Countries examined include the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, France, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, among others.
- Methods included reviewing military test scores, national intelligence surveys, and standardized test results.
“Massive IQ Gains in 14 Nations: What IQ Tests Really Measure” by James R. Flynn: 3. Key Findings
- IQ gains were higher for fluid intelligence (problem-solving, abstract reasoning) than for crystallized intelligence(knowledge-based skills like vocabulary).
- Dutch military data showed a 21-point IQ gain in just 30 years.
- Norwegian data showed IQ gains even as academic test scores declined, suggesting IQ tests measure something different from traditional schooling achievements.
The U.S. saw an increase in IQ scores but a simultaneous decline in SAT scores, indicating changes in cognitive skills but not necessarily in education-related knowledge.
“Massive IQ Gains in 14 Nations: What IQ Tests Really Measure” by James R. Flynn: 4. The Role of Environmental Factors
- The study suggests unknown environmental influences are responsible for IQ increases.
- Better nutrition, education, cognitive stimulation, and test familiarity may contribute to rising scores.
- Social changes, such as increasing exposure to complex information, may enhance abstract thinking.
“Massive IQ Gains in 14 Nations: What IQ Tests Really Measure” by James R. Flynn: 5. What Do IQ Tests Really Measure?
- Flynn argues that IQ tests do not measure intelligence directly but rather a correlate of intelligence.
- The increases suggest that modern societies encourage cognitive skills needed for IQ tests, rather than an actual rise in innate intelligence.
Different types of IQ tests measure different aspects of cognitive ability, with some showing more gains than others.
- The increases suggest that modern societies encourage cognitive skills needed for IQ tests, rather than an actual rise in innate intelligence.
“Massive IQ Gains in 14 Nations: What IQ Tests Really Measure” by James R. Flynn: 6. Implications for Intelligence Research
- The findings challenge genetic explanations of intelligence, as genetic changes do not occur rapidly enough to account for the IQ gains observed.
- IQ is more malleable than previously thought, shaped by cultural and environmental influences.
Intelligence research should focus on understanding why cognitive abilities change over time rather than assuming IQ is a fixed trait.
- IQ is more malleable than previously thought, shaped by cultural and environmental influences.
“Massive IQ Gains in 14 Nations: What IQ Tests Really Measure” by James R. Flynn: 7. Conclusion: The Importance of Context in IQ Interpretation
- IQ scores have increased across generations, but this does not necessarily mean people today are “smarter” than previous generations.
- Intelligence is adaptive and depends on the demands of the environment.
- Future research should explore the specific environmental factors driving the Flynn Effect and their impact on cognitive development.
This study was a major contribution to psychology and intelligence research, shaping debates on nature vs. nurture in intelligence
“The Insignificance of Personality Testing” by Steve Blinkhorn & Charles Johnson 1. The Overuse of Personality Testing in Business
- Personality tests are widely used in recruitment and employee assessment, with about 50% of UK companiesusing them.
- Their predictive value is overstated, and statistical claims supporting them are often flawed.
Many tests lack solid theoretical or empirical foundations but are still marketed aggressively.
- Their predictive value is overstated, and statistical claims supporting them are often flawed.
“The Insignificance of Personality Testing” by Steve Blinkhorn & Charles Johnson 2. Issues with Statistical Validity in Personality Tests
- The validity of personality tests is often assessed using correlation coefficients, but these are misinterpreted.
- Even well-established tests like the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), and Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) show weak correlations with job performance.
Many correlations reported as “significant” are due to statistical fishing—testing multiple variables until something appears meaningful by chance.
- Even well-established tests like the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), and Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) show weak correlations with job performance.
“The Insignificance of Personality Testing” by Steve Blinkhorn & Charles Johnson 3. The “Big Bang” Problem: Too Many Dimensions
- Personality tests often measure 16 to 30 different traits, creating billions of possible profiles.
- Real-world validation studies have tiny sample sizes (30–150 people), which cannot reliably test such complex models.
This makes most personality test results statistically meaningless and impractical for real decision-making.
- Real-world validation studies have tiny sample sizes (30–150 people), which cannot reliably test such complex models.
“The Insignificance of Personality Testing” by Steve Blinkhorn & Charles Johnson
4. The Failure of Personality Tests in Predicting Job Performance
- Studies show no consistent relationship between personality traits and job success.
- Correlations between personality scores and performance do not replicate across different time periods or job roles.
Example: In one study, being indecisive correlated with better sales performance in 1985 but not in 1986—showing randomness rather than meaningful insights.
- Correlations between personality scores and performance do not replicate across different time periods or job roles.
“The Insignificance of Personality Testing” by Steve Blinkhorn & Charles Johnson 5. Misuse of Statistical Methods to Inflate Validity
- Many personality test advocates cherry-pick significant correlations while ignoring non-significant ones.
- Multiple correlation analysis is used to suggest that test scores collectively predict performance, but this is misleading when small sample sizes are involved.
- Example: A random dataset of 30 personality traits tested on 50 people could yield a false correlation of 0.77, which appears impressive but is statistically meaningless.
“The Insignificance of Personality Testing” by Steve Blinkhorn & Charles Johnson 6. Conclusion: Personality Tests Lack Predictive Power
- Personality tests may have value in counseling or self-reflection but are poor tools for hiring decisions.
- Their widespread use in business is based on misleading statistical claims rather than solid evidence.
- Companies should be skeptical of personality test claims and focus on more reliable assessment methods for hiring and performance evaluation.
This paper is a strong critique of personality testing in recruitment, highlighting misleading statistical methods, poor predictive power, and the overreliance on flawed tests
