topic 4- applications of intelligence Flashcards
what is the flynn effect?
the finding that the average IQ score has increased at a remarkable rate in most societies in the 20th century
For example in the netherlands, the average IQ of men increased by over one standard deviation.
why is increased length of schooling unlikely to be the cause of the flynn effect?
- schooling improves verbal tests of intelligence more than it improves non verbal tests of intelligence
- However the Flynn effect shows greater increases in non verbal tests of intelligence
what are possible causes of the flynn effect?
- more enriching environment for children e.g: social intervention programs such as headstart, educational tv programs
- better nutrition
- test taking culture leads to more practice in IQ style tests
- Flynn argues that we are not nessercarily seeing an increase in intelligence itself but in some kind of ‘abstract problem solving ability’
What is Neisser and Colleagues heritability rate for IQ?
0.75
how might heritability estimates underestimate environment?
heritability estimates show the influence of genes and the rest is assumed to be environmental
However this means that if some of it is due to a gene-environment interaction it will only be shown as genetics
what are multiplier effects in relation to IQ?
- having a higher IQ may place people into environments that further increase their IQ
how can multiplier effects of IQ happen at a societal level?
- environmental effects that cause one persons IQ to rise, may lead to that person cultivating an environment where the IQ of those around them rises and this multiplies at a societal level
What was Ceci’s meta analysis findings on IQ changes and schooling
- Children who attended school regularly score higher on IQ tests (a rise of 2.7 points)
- delays starting school cause intelligence to drop by 5 IQ points per year missed
- this shows that intelligence can change due to circumstance
what was Wahlstens findings about families and IQ scores?
- an infant moved from a family with low socio-economic status to a family with high socio-economic status will improve the infants IQ score
- this shows that intelligence can change due to circumstance
what was Whalley and Deary’s findings relating IQ to early mortality
- traced 80% of people who had taken part in a 1932 IQ survey
- they then used medical and public databases to see who was alive 65 years later
- they found that those with a lower IQ score were less likely to be alive 65 years later
What were Deary and Der’s three hypotheses for the relationship between IQ and early mortality and what were the results
- high IQ is associated with more optimum health behaviours - e.g not smoking
- High IQ is predictive of educational environments and social classes that confer better health outcomes
- IQ might be predictive of mortality because mental ability tests assess some aspect of bodily integrity
RESULTS
- when controlling for education, social class and smoking, the correlation was still there
- however when controlling for reaction time, the correlation no longer became significant. This suggests that reaction time is the primary reason driving these findings.
What was Klemp and McClellands findings on the predictive validity of IQ scores?
- scores on standard IQ tests tend to be uncorrelated with actual performance in managerial jobs and simulated business problems, used as part of an assessment program
- this is because the problems that are present in IQ tests are too well defined and clear cut
- in real life its not always simple as seeing a solution, as you have to see the problems too
what were the general arguments of the bell curve?
- they analysed IQ and university admissions and argue that the most important factor in college admissions was intelligence and not social class and wealth
- they argued that intelligence was the best predictor of job performance
- they argued that there was a cognitive elite in the US with better education and jobs due to higher intelligence
- they argue that intelligence will soon become the basis of the American class system
- low IQ scores are a strong precursor to poverty, more than any other socio economic condition
- IQ scores are better predictors of economic and social welfare than socio-economic status
- Low IQ scores are associated with higher rates of divorce, unemployment, students dropping out of education, lower rates of marriage, higher rates of illegitamate births
How do Hernstein and Murray relate Race to IQ?
- White americans score 15 IQ points higher than black americans on the Weschler test
- Therefore immigration is pushing down the IQ of the US
- We do not expect education to influence these low IQ scores
- affirmative action programmes lead to a decrease of intelligence in the workplace
How did Hernstein and Murray reach these conclusions?
- They looked at various population groups in the US, e.g people who are unemployed, people who are divorced, people who are in poverty
- They then looked at the IQ distribution of these groups and compared it with the national average IQ distribution
