psychology chapter 10

Question 1

Intelligence Test

Answer 1

a method for assessing an individuals mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores.

Question 2

Sanford-Binet

Answer 2

the widely used american revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binets original intelligence test.

Question 3

Intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 3

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (thus, IQ=ma/ca x 100). on contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for given age is assigned a score of 100.

Question 4

Mental Age

Answer 4

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance. Thus, a child who does as well as the average 8-year old is said to have a mental age of 8.

Question 5

Intelligence

Answer 5

mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

Question 6

Crystallized Intelligence

Answer 6

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.

Question 7

Fluid Intelligence

Answer 7

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood.

Question 8

General Intelligence (g)

Answer 8

a general intelligence factor that, according to Spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test.

Question 9

Factor Analysis

Answer 9

A statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a persons total score.

Question 10

Savant Syndrome

Answer 10

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing.

Question 11

Emotional Intelligence

Answer 11

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.

Question 12

Creativity

Answer 12

the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas.

Question 13

Correlation Coefficient

Answer 13

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)

Question 14

Aptitude test

Answer 14

a test designed to predict a persons future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.

Question 15

Achievement test

Answer 15

a test designed to assess what a person has learned.

Question 16

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

Answer 16

the WAIS is the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests/

Question 17

Normal Curve

Answer 17

the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.

Question 18

Standardization

Answer 18

defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group.

Question 19

Reliability

Answer 19

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, or on retesting.

Question 20

Validity

Answer 20

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to.

Question 21

Content Validity

Answer 21

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest.

Question 22

Criterion

Answer 22

he degree to which test scores indicate a result on a specific measure that is consistent with some other criterion of the characteristic being assessed; also known as predictive validity.

Question 23

Predictive Validity

Answer 23

the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior.

Question 24

Mental Retardation

Answer 24

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below and difficulty adapting to the demands of live; varies from mild to profound.

Question 25

Down Syndrome

Answer 25

a condition of retardation and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.

Question 26

Stereotype Threat

Answer 26

a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype.