Unit 11

Question 1

Intelligence

Answer 1

The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

Question 2

General intelligence (g)

Answer 2

According to Spearman and others, underlies all mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test.

Question 3

Factor analysis

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Savant syndrome

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Grit

Answer 5

In psychology, grit is passion and perseverence in the pursuit of long-term goals.

Question 6

Emotional intelligence

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Intelligence test

Answer 7

A method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores.

Question 8

Achievement test

Answer 8

A test designed to assess what a person has learned.

Question 9

Aptitude test

Answer 9

A test designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.

Question 10

Mental age

Answer 10

A measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age. Thus, a child who does as well as an average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8.

Question 11

Stanford-Binet

Answer 11

The widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet’s original intelligence test.

Question 12

Intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

Answer 13

The WAIS and its companion versions for children are the most widely used intelligence tests; they contain verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests.

Question 14

Standardization

Answer 14

Defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparision with the performance of a pretested group.

Question 15

Normal curve

Answer 15

The 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 16

Reliability

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Validity

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Content validity

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Predictive validity

Answer 19

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. (Also called criterion-related validity)

Question 20

Cohort

Answer 20

A group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as from a given time period.

Question 21

Crystallized intelligence

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Fluid intelligence

Answer 22

Our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease with age, especially during late adulthood.

Question 23

Cross-sectional study

Answer 23

Research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time.

Question 24

Longitudinal study

Answer 24

Research that follows and retests the same people over time.

Question 25

Intellectual disability

Answer 25

A condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence test score of 70 or below and difficult adapting to the demands of life. (Formerly referred to as mental retardation)

Question 26

Down syndrome

Answer 26

A condition of mild to severe intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.

Question 27

Heritability

Answer 27

The proportion of variation among individuals in a group that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.

Question 28

Stereotype threat

Answer 28

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