Lecture 5: Intelligence Flashcards
What are 3 important things when it comes to the origin of differences in intelligence?
- Interaction nature x nurture produces intelligent behavior
- Transactions are essential: parents change child behavior, but child also changes parents behavior
- Development is a continuous and reciprocal interaction between child with biological disposition and changing environment
What 4 factors are involved in the genotype->environment theory and which one influences which? (by Scarr & McCartney)
- Child’s genotype (influences phenotype child and child rearing environment)
- Phenotype child (influences child rearing environment)
- Genotype parents (influences child’s genotype and child rearing environment)
- Child rearing environment (influences phenotype of child)
What is the basketball-analogy used for?
Explain the basketball-analogy.
It is used as an example of the individual multiplier effect.
Basketball-analogy:
- Bo & Mo
- Bo slightly taller –> asked to join good basketball team –> gets better and better –> enjoys it and plays more –> gets better
- Mo slightly shorter –> gets into a worse basketball team –> only plays basketball at school –> lower level than Bo
Individual multiplier effect
A small difference in nature becomes bigger and bigger when multiplied by nurture (by (self-)selecting environment that encourages innate differences)
–> upward spiral by: exercise, environment, opportunities
Basketball-analogy is an example of the individual multiplier effect.
Social multiplier effect + example
Social multipliers make the difference between groups and generations (nature x nurture of a group)
Group:
Chess example: school starts chess club –> attract children and parents who like chess –> more time spent playing –> kids learn from each other –> school gets better at chess than other schools
Generation:
Breakdance example: breakdancing becomes an Olympic sport –> breakdance more popular –> this generation gets better at breakdancing.
–> So mainly nurture (popularity makes people breakdance), but also nature as the one with talent has the greatest chance of becoming the best.
Flynn effect
Increase of IQ points with each generation (may be because of attention to cognitive development).
What may be an explanation for the Flynn effect?
Increasing attention to cognitive development.
We stimulate intelligence in children:
- Educational toys (such as building blocks for counting)
- Multipliers in the environment
Cumulative deficit effect
Multiple risks persisting over many years add up
= comparable to negative individual multiplier
What were the 3 main results from Sameroff?
- More risk factors (premature birth, low SES, etc.) –> lower IQ
- Risk factors added up: if you have one risk factor, you’re likely to have more
- Downward spiral: hard to overcome a risk factor, because it’s often associated with another risk factor
Are individual differences in intelligence often general or specific?
They are often general,
so if someone scores high on 1 onderdeel van WISC IQ test, they also score high on the other parts of the WISC IQ test
What is the criticism on the g-factor (general intelligence factor, mental power) by Spearman?
- It’s not theoretical
- No developmental model, how does it work?
- Where is g?
- What is g?
Homunculus problem: G explanation seems economical but introduces invisible force (about which can’t be talked about any further)
Mutualism
Positive influence of cognitive modules (/internal characteristics) on each other
(if you can read, this makes you gain more knowledge and then you’re also better at other things)
E.g.: better memory strategies –> better reading comprehension –> more knowledge –> easier to remember things
How can stereotypes be self-fulfilling?
Endorsing (bevestigen) stereotype influences and is influenced by:
- affective, motivational (self-image, emotions, goal-orientation, mindset)
- behavior (involved in a task, effort paid in a task)
- performance
Cognitive development is not possible without (2):
- Self-esteem (considering yourself capable)
- Academic emotions: evoked by:
- value attached to an academic task (I think this is important/this is worthless evokes different emotion)
- perceived control (how much do you feel in control (has to do with self-esteem, capability, enjoyment)
Academic emotions –> can activate and deactivate children’s behavior
e.g.: He’s bored –> he will not put much effort in school task vs. He is happy –> he will put more effort in school task
Entity theory
You think intelligence is fixed unit (fixed mindset).
Incremental theory
You think intelligence is changeable (growth mindset).
Implicit theories are often related to (4):
- Goals orientation (mastery vs. performance approach, avoidance vs. approach orientation
- Importance attached to effort (if you think you can change something, you will make more effort and other way around)
- Attribution to errors (whether you think failure is due to a lack of effort or lack of talent)
- Learning approach (superficial learning vs. deep learning approach)
What were the main results of the study of Blackwell?
Study of children in transition to secondary school (middelbare)
Results:
- Children with an incremental theory gradually scored higher on math grades compared to children with a entity theory over the years.
Conclusion:
- The more incremental theory (growth mindset) –> better the learning goals (strategies) & more positive effort beliefs (if I put effort, I can do it).
Name the 4 affective and motivational variables of intelligence:
- Endorsing stereotype
- Self-esteem, emotions, goal-orientation, mindset
- Involved effort
- Performance
What are Ceci & Kaufman’s ideas on the stability and hereditary of intelligence?
Ceci: life experiences and school-related experiences change brain & IQ in adults and children –> so not completely hereditary
Kaufman: IQ is always about a rank order (compared to others). It can’t be stable. Intelligence tests differ –> IQ result is unreliable.
At around what age is rank position stable and how long can you use an IQ score for at what age?
Rank position is stable from around 6 years old.
You can use IQ score (it stays stable) for how long (validity IQ scores):
- Before 5y old: max. half year
- 5-13y old: 1 years
- 13y+ old: max 2 years
What are the 3 explanations for the increase of heredity on IQ with age?
- People select own environment when they grow older
- Some genes are switched on later
- Decrease in factor family/shared environment is explained by the decreasing influence of parents as kids grow older
Closet example
Even when environment is the same, genes make a difference.
The example: children locked up in closet together –> they don’t learn a lot compared to being in school, but there are differences in intelligence in children after being freed –> this must be explained by difference in genes)
What is Gardner’s theory and what is the evidence?
Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences:
There are different types of intelligences:
- music smart
- body smart
- self smart
- nature smart
- people smart
- word smart
- logic smart
- picture smart
Everyone is good at something –> attractive theory to parents and teachers.
There is no convincing evidence for Gardner’s theory.
