Problem 2: Intelligence Flashcards
mental abilities
differences among people in their maximum performance in producing correct answers to various problems or questions
–> the capacities to solve problems that demand thinking-related skills
Factor-analytic approach
= analyzes the number of hypothetical components of a construct
Procedure:
A large number of individuals perform different ability tests, then intercorrelations among these tests are determined and factor analysis is conducted
–> on the basis of correlations, the number of factors are determined that describe best people’s performance
Charles Spearman - G factor
–> correlations among various tasks indicated that performance on each task was influenced by a general mental ability - general intelligence
General Intelligence (g) Theory
Variation in intelligence test scores can be explained by two factors
1. A general factor (g factor) that determines performance on ALL tests
2. A set of specific factors that determine performance on single, specific tests
G-loadings = the higher the g-loading of a task, the better indicator of general intelligence
Louis Thurstone - Primary Factors
Instead of g being the most prominent factor of intelligence, there are 7 primary mental abilities –> primary factors
Verbal comprehension, verbal fluency, inductive reasoning, spatial visualization, number, memory, and perceptual speed
The g factor does not properly explain relations among various kinds of mental abilities
J. Paul Guilford - Structure-of-Intellect model
A multifactor theory that claims the existence of 150 independent ability factors that can be organized into three dimensions:
Operations - describes type of mental processing a person carries out
Contents - related to materials being processed
Products - describes how information is stored or processed
Raymond Cattell - Crystallized and Fluid intelligence
Crystallized intelligence - factual knowledge that has been acquired from school and through life and can therefore increase over time
Fluid intelligence - includes the ability to see relationships between ideas and objects and generally decreases as the person gets older
Developmental changes in mean levels of mental ability
On average, people’s levels of g increase rapidly through childhood and continue to increase into late adolescence, and then decrease during old age
–> decline of mental abilities in old age
Biological Bases of Mental Ability - Brain Size
Brain size is positively correlated with mental ability
–> size of the brain and especially certain regions of the brain
Biological Bases of Mental Ability - Nerve conduction velocity
= the speed with which electrical impulses are transmitted between the cells of the brain and the nervous system
–> there is some link between nerve conduction velocity and IQ
–> a shorter duration indicates a higher nerve conduction velocity (a faster brain) - higher IQ
Biological Bases of Mental Ability - Reaction Time
–> the time interval between seeing the stimulus and reacting to it is the reaction time of the participant
–> slower reaction times are associated with lower scores on tests of mental ability
Biological Bases of Mental Ability - Inspection Time
= the length of time that a stimulus must be present before the brain can notice that stimulus
–> people who have longer inspection times tend to have lower scores on mental ability tests
Genetic Influences on Mental Ability
–> differences among children in their levels of mental ability are attributable almost as much to their common environment - to features of their family or household circumstances - as they are to their genetic inheritances
–> as children grow up, the differences in mental ability are more strongly related to their genetic inheritances
–> overall heritability is estimated about 0.50 with additive genetic influences contributing about 0.35 and nonadditive genetic influences the remaining 0.15
Additive genetic influences
the combined effects of genes are simply the sums of the separate effects of each gene
Nonadditive genetic influences
the combined effects of genes are different from what would be expected based on the separate effects on each gene
Womb environment influences
–> influence of the womb environment on mental ability was about 0.20 when fraternal twins were considered, and 0.05 when non-twin siblings were considered
Nutrition
Variation of mental ability among people:
–> nutrition during gestation (before birth)
–> levels of nutrients obtained by the developing fetus/young child
–> low levels of vitamin B12 - high risk of relative decline in mental ability
Breastfeeding - higher levels of mental ability:
–> longer duration of breastfeeding
–> may provide better nutrition
–> mother-infant connection
–> mothers with higher levels of g are more likely to breastfeed
Birth Order
–> early-born children experience a better social environment for intellectual development than do later-born children
–> differences in intellectual stimulation
Evolutionary Function of Mental Ability
–> many genetic mutations could have some influence on brain functioning, and because the brain already works very well, any given mutation is much more likely to disrupt brain functioning
–> high levels of mental ability will likely help one to meet the challenges of survival and reproduction and parenting
–> more energy consumption may reduce those chances of survival and reproduction
–> sex differences have resulted from the selection for abilities required by the tasks than men and women tended to do during prehistoric times
Academic achievement and peformance
–> students with higher IQs tend to do better in school
–> IQ is even more strongly related to academic achievement, as measured by actual tests, than to school grades (subjectivity of teachers)
–> IQ is better able to predict grades in elementary school than in secondary school, and better in secondary school than in college/Uni
Job performance, occupational status, and income
–> IQ is positively correlated with job performance
–> smarter workers tend on average to be
better workers
–> for more complex jobs, a higher IQ translates into considerably better job performance
–> educational environmental advantages when growing up lead to better job performance
Longevity and health
Children with higher IQs tend to live longer than children with lower IQs
–> health-related problems - premature death
–> body and brain are not functioning well - short life span
–> tendency to adopt unhealthy rather than healthy behaviors, with increased injury/death risk
–> tendency to enter into unhealthy environments
Law-abidingness versus criminality
–> significant links between crime, lower socioeconomic status, and low IQ
–> the cost-benefit ratio of criminal activity is higher for persons who have high IQs, because those persons have better chances for educational and occupational success
Marriage: assortative mating
–> there is a tendency for spouses to be similar in some - but not all - aspects of mental ability
–> two people will tend to have more rewarding conversations if they have similar levels of verbal activity, but similar levels of mathematical reasoning ability are unlikely to contribute in an important way to any aspect of relationship quality
The Flynn Effect
The Flynn effect (IQ gains over time) means that different IQ tests will give different scores purely because the tests were normed.
–> rising intelligence test performance in the general population over time and generations
–> worldwide IQ gains across more than one century
Environmental Factors that cause the Flynn effect
Education: entry into higher education, changes in educational systems
Effects of technology: modern appliances/devices train visual analytical abilities
Family size: decreasing family size - increase in IQ; fertility
Test-taking behavior: increased guessing behavior in psychometric test instruments; lower levels of caution, conscientiousness, and conservatism on social attitudes; higher extraversion due to MCQ
Biological Factors that cause the Flynn effect
–> lower numbers of consanguineous (close-relative) and endogamous (in-group) marriages and offspring
–> genetically dissimilar subpopulations increases allelic heterozygosity
Hybrid Factors that cause the Flynn effect
Nutrition: better cognitive development due to improved prenatal and postnatal nutrition
Pathogen stress: less risk of exposure to pathogen stress because we live in a healthier environment
Life history speed: slower life history speed may account for IQ gains because it leaves more time and energy to get educated
Relevance of IQ gains over time
there are IQ gains over time that run at a rate 0.3 IQ points per year and therefore, over 50 years, total 15 points
–> not representative over years
–> IQ gains vary according to domain, are stronger for adults than children, and have decreased in more recent decades
Milwaukee Project
Garber administered a variety of IQ tests to children who had been exposed to an enriched environment to estimate whether the intervention had reduced the risk of their being classified as mentally retarded
–> the tests had been normed at different dates, therefore produced radically higher or lower IQs until the scores were adjusted to take into account which tests had been normed recently and which 30 years before
Personality and Intelligence
–> higher mental ability scores tend to be obtained by people who have higher levels of the personality traits associated with Openness to Experience, especially curiosity
Gardner’s “Theory of Multiple Intelligences”
Howard Gardner has suggested that the g factor of mental ability is not particularly important for real-world outcomes and that this factor emerges mainly because virtually all mental ability tests use a verbal format, which gives an advantage to people who are good at verbal skills.
Eight distinct kinds of intelligence:
Linguistic, Logical-mathematical, Spatial, Musical, Bodily-kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic
–> evidence CONTRADICTS his theory
Sternberg’s “Triarchic Theory of Intelligence”
Three fundamental aspects of mental ability:
1. Analytic intelligence –> an ability to think logically and critically
2. Creative intelligence –> an ability to formulate new ideas and to gain original insights into problems
3. Practical intelligence –> an ability to solve problems in the context of everyday life - common-sense understanding of how the world works
–> those three aspects are all related to a general mental ability (g)
Emotional Intelligence
Salovey and Mayer:
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s feelings, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action
–> has an effect on important life outcomes such as forming satisfying personal relationships and achieving success at work
–> emotional intelligence is a set of interrelated skills that allow people to process emotionally relevant information efficiently and accurately
The Four-Branch Model of Emotional Intelligence
- Perceiving emotions
- Using emotions
- Understanding emotions
- Managing emotions
Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT)
–> 40-minute battery test that may be completed either on paper or computer
–> by testing a person’s abilities on each of the four branches of emotional intelligence, it generates scores for each of the branches as well as a total score
High scores on the MSCEIT:
- positive relationships with others: family, friends,
relationships
- social interactions with members of the other sex
- positive evaluations by peers
- more work success: positive work environment, responsible, tolerant of stress, potential for
leadership, higher salary, and more promotions
Ability Emotional Intelligence
Ability measures require that participants solve emotion-related problems that have answers that are deemed to be correct or incorrect
–> give a good indication of individuals’ ability to understand emotions and how they work
–> test of maximal ability
Trait Emotional Intelligence
Utilize self-report items to measure overall Emotional Intelligence and its sub-dimensions
High on trait Emotional Intelligence:
- high levels of self-efficacy
- competent at managing and regulating emotions
–> good prediction of actual behaviors in a range of situations
–> linked to job satisfaction, organization commitment, and job performance
Mixed Emotional Intelligence
Refers to questionnaires that measure a combination of traits, social skills, and competencies that overlap with other personality measures
It assesses both ability and trait Emotional Intelligence
–> valid predictor of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance
