TOPIC 3 Flashcards
What is intelligence?
Intelligence is a hypothetical construct that is difficult to define and measure.
What was Edwin Boring’s definition of intelligence?
“Intelligence is what the tests test.”
What is intelligence as sensory capacity?
Proposed by Sir Francis Galton, this theory suggests that intelligence is a byproduct of strong sensory capabilities. Research did not find a correlation between sensory abilities and academic performance.
Who developed one of the first intelligence tests?
Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon.
What did Binet and Simon’s intelligence test consist of?
30 cognitive tests assessing language skills, memory, reasoning, digit span, and psychophysical judgments.
What is abstract thinking?
The capacity to understand hypothetical concepts.
What is “g”?
Hypothesized by Charles Spearman, “g” stands for general intelligence, a factor that accounts for differences in intellect among people.
What is “s”?
”s” refers to specific abilities, a particular ability in a narrow domain.
What is fluid intelligence?
The capacity to learn new ways of solving problems.
What is crystallized intelligence?
Accumulated knowledge of the world over time.
What is the theory of multiple intelligences?
This theory posits that people vary in their ability levels across different domains of intellectual skill.
Who proposed the theory of multiple intelligences?
Howard Gardner.
What is Sternberg’s Triarchic Model of Intelligence?
A model of intelligence that proposes three distinct types of intelligence: analytical, practical, and creative.
What is the relationship between brain size and intelligence?
Brain size correlates with intelligence across species when corrected for body size. Within the human species, brain size is weakly associated with intelligence.
What is the relationship between processing efficiency and intelligence?
Intelligent brains process information more quickly and efficiently.
How is working memory related to intelligence?
Working memory, the ability to hold information in mind while performing mental operations, correlates with overall intelligence.
What are some reasons we need to test intelligence?
Educational placement, diagnosis and support for cognitive disorders, prediction of academic and occupational success, and research on the nature of intelligence.
What is the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test?
Published in 1916, it is based on the Binet-Simon test and was used to develop norms for the general population.
What is the intelligence quotient (IQ)?
A systematic means of quantifying differences in intelligence among people.
What is deviation IQ?
An expression of a person’s IQ relative to their same-aged peers.
What is eugenics?
A movement in the early 20th century that aimed to improve the population’s genetic stock by encouraging those with “good genes” to reproduce and discouraging those with “bad genes” from reproducing.
What is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)?
The most widely used intelligence test for adults, consisting of 15 subtests that assess different mental abilities.
What are some examples of childhood IQ tests?
The Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC).
What is reliability?
The consistency of a measurement.
What is validity?
The extent to which a measure assesses what it claims to measure.
What is concurrent validity?
The relationship between scores on a measure and an outcome assessed at the same time.
What is predictive validity?
The ability of a measure taken at one time to predict a criterion that occurs in the future.
What is convergent validity?
Scores on a measure should correlate highly with scores on other measures of the same construct.
What is the bell curve?
The distribution of scores where the majority of scores fall towards the middle, with fewer scores towards the extreme ends.
What is a standard deviation?
A measure of variability that considers how far each data point is from the mean.
What is the standard deviation for intelligence scores?
15
What is intellectual disability?
A condition characterized by an onset before adulthood, an IQ below approximately 70, and an inability to engage in adequate daily functioning.
What IQ is typically classified as superior or high intelligence?
An IQ of approximately 130.
What do family studies on intelligence suggest?
Intelligence runs in families, with higher correlations for siblings than cousins. However, it’s difficult to separate the influence of environment and genes.
What do twin studies suggest about the heritability of intelligence?
Monozygotic twins show higher correlations in IQ than dizygotic twins, suggesting a genetic influence. Heritability estimates are typically 40-70%.
What are some possible environmental influences on intelligence?
Education, early intervention, and poverty/socioeconomic status (including nutrition and access to education). However, evidence for the impact of these factors is mixed.
What is the Flynn Effect?
The observed increase in IQ scores over time, at a rate of approximately three points per decade.
What are some possible causes of the Flynn effect?
Increased familiarity with testing, the increasing complexity of the modern world, better nutrition and overall health, and changes in home and school environments.
What are some observed sex differences in intelligence?
While overall intelligence is similar, females may perform better on some verbal tasks, facial emotion recognition, and arithmetic. Men may perform better on spatial ability tasks and abstract mathematical tasks.
What is the standard explanation for ethnic differences in IQ performance?
Environmental differences, not genetic differences.
What is a stereotype threat?
The fear of confirming a negative group stereotype, which can negatively impact performance.
