Psychometric tests: intelligence and personality Flashcards
intelligence test
a series of questions and the exercises which attempt to assess peoples mental abilities in a way that generates a numerical score, so that one person can be compared to another
intelligence is defined as
the ability acquire knowledge and skills
Alfred Binet
a lawyer, self taught in psychology
- created first widely used standardised test of intelligence
which scale did Alfred Binet create
an intelligent test called the Simon- Binet scale
Simon-Binet scale (french)
used to identify student who would benefit from remedial eduction
Galtons Anthropometric lab
broader movement to measure intelligence
downfalls of anthropometric lab
- no consideration of test anxiety
- validity- were they really measuring what they were aiming for
- artificial and abstract
General intelligence
Charles Spearman performed a factor analysis of different skills and found that people who did well in one area also di well in another
Spearman suspected that individuals who did well in numerous areas had
high “g’
-GENERAL INTELLIGENCE
Factor analysis
refers to a statistical technique that determines how different variables relate to each other
-for example whether they form cluster that tend to vary together.
factor analysis
is a practical way in which a theory can be tested
Data reduction techniques (2)
- Principle components analysis
- Exploratory factor analysis
Data reduction techniques: Principle components analysis
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Multiple intelligences
Howard Gardner: the ‘savant syndrome’ refers to having isolated islands of high ability admit a sea of below- average cognitive and social functioning
David Weshler
Developed a a group of tests called: Intelligence PLS
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) measure
g (general intelligence) / IQ
subscore for Wechsler tests measuring “g”/ IQ
- verbal comprehension
- processing speed
- perceptual organisation
- working memory
fluid intelligence
refers to the ability to think quickly and abstractly
crystallised intelligence
refers to accumulated wisdom, knowledge, expertise and vocabulary
problem with Wechsler test
- performance anxiety
- educational and cultural biases
why is the idea that intelligence is fit for life a disputed theory
since it is thought decision making improves, also frontal lobe continues to develop
standardisation of tests
the test must be pre-tested to a representative sample of people and form a normal distribution
what will a normal distribution look like
a bell curve
e.g. the peak = average
The Flynn Effect and intelligence score
-score of intelligence test tends to drift upwards over time in a genetically stable population
