Lecture 6 - Intelligence and life outcomes

Question 1

Do intelligence test scores predict educational success?

Answer 1

• 1944 - intelligence tests widely used to select children at 11 years into an educational strand
• intention was for the 11+ to be like an IQ test consisting of 3 papers: arithmetic, writing and general problem solving
• mass cognitive testing still takes place
• these are called CAT tests and are used for estimating students progress

Question 2

What does psychometric intelligence at 11 years predict?

Answer 2

• researchers found a high correlation (0.81) between CAT scores and GCSE scores
• there were also sex differences - girls performed better in every topic apart from physics
• girls and boys did not differ in g but girls scored higher on residual verbal factor

Question 3

Intelligence and the workplace?

Answer 3

• intelligence scores predict who will perform well in the workplace
• people with lower IQ scores have poorer life outcomes

Question 4

Why does some peoples intelligence age better than others?

Answer 4

• Plassman looked at 150 studies looking at risks or protections against cognitive decline
• found some evidence of risks:
  -> APOE gene
  -> smoking
  -> depression
  -> diabetes
• found some evidence of protective factors:
  -> mediterranean diet
  -> eating vegetables
  -> professional occupations
  -> leisure activities

Question 5

Scottish mental health surveys 1947?

Answer 5

• of the 70,000 ish children tested 65,000 ish were traced via health records
• found that as the intelligence test score at 11 becomes higher, the risk of death from this cause by age 79 lowers

Question 6

Christiana Wraw?

Answer 6

• reported that higher intelligence scores in youth were associated with lower risk of:
  -> high blood pressure
  -> diabetes
  -> lung disease
  -> heart failure
  -> stroke