Unit 11: Testing and Individual Differences Flashcards
Define aptitude
Natural ability to do something
Define intelligence
- Concept
- Mental trait w/ ability to learn from experience, solve problems, + use knowledge to adapt to new situations.
Why do intelligence experts agree that intelligence is a concept and not a “thing”?
- It has a diff. meaning to people based on culture, their own definition on how it contributes to success
- Ex: Not like weight or height which are universal
Define intelligence test
Assessment of ppl’s mental abilities and compares them with others using # scores
What is the “memory war”?
Discussion if traumatic events are repressed + can later be recovered w/ therapeutic(healing) benefit
What is the “gender war”?
Discussion about extent to which nature/nurture shape our behaviors as men/women
What is the “intelligence war”?
Discussion on if we have an inborn general mental capacity(intelligence) and can we quantify( define by amount) this capacity as a meaningful #.
What are arguments for and against considering intelligence as one general mental ability?
For: We can see the g factor in many correlations.
Against: There are social v. academic smarts
Define general intelligence (g)
According to Spearman + others: underlies specific mental abilities + therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test.
Ex: Underlies behavior such as navigating the sea to excelling in school.
Define factor analysis
Statistical procedure developed partially by Spearman. It is a statistical procedure that identifies correlations of related items (factors) on a test.
Define factor analysis
Statistical procedure developed partially by Spearman. It is a statistical procedure that identifies correlations of related items (factors) on a test
What is factor analysis used for?
To identify diff. aspects/dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score.
Who is L.L. Thurstone
Disagreed w. Spearman
Instead identified 7 main mental abilities
Therefore ranking ppl on diff scales not a single one
-Even so investigators notices an indv. who scored well in one category did so in others, therefore g factor still present
Label the 7 mental abilities identified by Thurstone
Word fluency
Verbal comprehension
Spatial( having to do with space) ability
Perceptual(ability to interpret/ become aware of things) speed
Numerical ability
Inductive reasoning( specific observations resulting in gen. conclusion)
Memory
How do Gardener’s + Sternberg’s theories of multiple intelligences differ?
Gardner has 8, Sternberg has 3
What is savant syndrome?
Condition where 4 our of 5 are males, a person limited in mental ability (from intelligence test) has an amazing specific skill: drawing/computation
Does general intelligence matter?
Yes, it predicts performance on various complex tasks and various jobs (recent research found)
Identify Gardner’s 8 intelligences
Naturalist Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Musical Spatal Bodily-Kinesthetic Intrapersonal Interpersonal
Identify Gardner’s 8 intelligences
Naturalist Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Musical Spatal Bodily-Kinesthetic Intrapersonal Interpersonal
Define grit
In psych, it is a passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals
Who is Robert Sternberg
Agreed w/ Gardner that there are more than 1 type of intelligence, but only identified three
Identify Sternberg’s three intelligences
Analytical(academic-problem solving) intelligence
Creative intelligence
Practical intelligence
What are the 4 components of emotional intelligence?
Perceiving emotions: recognizing them in diff. places
Understanding emotions: Predict them + how they change/blend
Managing emotions: How to express them in diff. situations
Using emotions: To enable adaptive/creative thinking
Define emotional intelligence
Ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.
To what extend is intelligence related to brain anatomy?
- There is a correlation between brain size and intelligence
- In this instance, bigger is better
Identify important brain areas for intelligence
Frontal and Parietal lobes
Having a lot of neural cell bodies
A lot of axons
which increase brain communication
To what extent is intelligence related to neural processing speed?
- Smart ppl use less energy to solve problems
- More efficient speed= smarter
Compare Spearman, Thurstone, Gardner, and Sternberg
Spearman: One general intelligence (g factor) seen in everything
Thurstone: 7 factors in intelligence, correlation is seen as support that g factor is present
Gardner: 8 intelligences, more variety and skills
Sternberg: 3 intelligences, predicting real life success and supports g- factor.
When and why were intelligence tests created?
1900s (1904 Binet and 1911 Terman)
Binet: To help identity children w/ needs
Terman: To rank children
Who is Alfred Binet
Along with Theodore Simon, they tried to solve how to identify kids with special needs w/o biases.
-Started by assuming all children have same course of intellectual development, but some develop slower.
(Ex: “slow kid” performs = as avg. younger child, “bright kid”= avg. older child.)
Therefore, goal was to measure mental age
Define mental age
Level of performance usually related w/ certain age.
Purpose of Binet’s intelligence test
Identify French schoolchildren needing special attention.
Hoped it would b used to improve their education
Feared labels would restrict them
Purpose of Binet’s intelligence test
Identify French schoolchildren needing special attention.
Hoped it would b used to improve their education
Feared labels would restrict them
Who is Lewis Terman and what is he known for?
Stanford professor who tweaked Binet’s test and renamed it the Stanford-Binet. His intelligence test focused on innate knowledge and on diff. rankings.
Define IQ
Developed by German psych. Stern. Where you take mental age/ chronological age x 100.
What is the main difference between Binet and Terman?
Binet: Intelligence is relative to nurture, how children are helped/educated
Terman: Intelligence is relative to nature, the intelligence that children are born with.
What’s the diff. between achievement and aptitude tests?
Achievement: Test designed to asses what a person has learned.
Ex: AP test
Aptitude: Test to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the CAPACITY to learn.
Ex: College entrance exam
Define Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
- Created by David Wechsler
- Most widely used intelligence test
- Contains verbal/ performance(nonverbal) subtests
How many subtests are there? What are the categories?
There are 15 and the categories are: Similarities Vocabulary Block design Letter-number sequencing
Explain the subtests
Similarities: Reasoning the alike between two things
Vocab: Defining words/ naming pic. objects
Block design: Visual abstract processing
Letter/# sequencing: Once hearing a series of #’s and letters, repeat # in increasing order and letters in alphabetical order.
Compare the WAIS with Stanford-Binet intelligence test
Both provide overall intelligence score
Stanford-Binet: Used to rank ppl
WAIS: Separates scores for verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, working memory, and processing speed. Therefore, finding a way to identify strength/weakness and work on it.
What are the standardization and the normal curve?
Standardization: Defining constant testing procedures + meaningful scores by comparison w/ performance of a pretested group.
Normal curve: Symmetrical, bell-shaped curve describing the distribution of physical/psych attributes. Most scores are avg. fewer and fewer lie near extremes.
What are the 3 criteria that psych tests need to meet?
To be accepted:
- Standardized
- Reliable
- Valid
What is the Flynn effect
Historic increase in intelligence testing
What are reliability and validity?
Reliability: Extent of how consistent the results are of a test
Measured by the consistency of scored on 2 halves of the test, alternate forms, or retesting. The stronger the correlation between scores, the more reliable.
Validity: Extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to.
Ex: Using the wrong tape measure to assess height. Reliability is correct bc consistent #, but validity is wrong bc wrong measure of unit.
Define content validity
Extent that a test measures the behavior of interest
Ex: Drivers test on the road to see how person drives
Define predictive validity
-Is expected on intelligence tests bc it is the success w/ which a test PREDICTS the behavior it is designated to predict. Measured by strength of correlation between test scores and criterion behavior. (aka criterion-related validity)
Why does validity diminish w/ age?
When you validate a test using a wide range of ppl but then use it w/ a restricted range of ppl, it loses much of its predictive validity.
How stable are intelligence scores over the life span?
Ppl used to think that losing intelligence was a natural part of aging, however, this was debunked by longitudinal evidence.
What are the three phases of the aging and intelligence research?
- Cross-sectional evidence for intellectual decline
- Longitudinal evidence for intellectual stability
- It all depends
Explain the first phase of aging and intelligence research.
Cross-sectional evidence for intellectual decline
Consists of cross-sectional studies where @ one point in time different age groups are tested and compared.
Found that younger indv. scores higher than older
Implies that “ you can’t teach a dog new tricks.”
Explain the second phase of aging and intelligence research.
Longitudinal studies are assessing the same indv. over a long period of time. Therefore, comparing them w/ their previous abilities.
Found more stability/ consistency in intelligence
In some cases intelligence increased
Supports that “ w/ good health you’re never too old to learn.”
Why do phase 1 and 2 of aging and intelligence research contradict each other?
In cross- sectional evidence there were many more differentiating factors than age. For example,
they were comparing different eras (which had diff. accessibility to edu. and resources) indv. w/ diff. family sizes, and diff. wealth. Therefore, longitudinal was more credible.
Explain the third phase of aging and intelligence research
In it all depends it explains the contradiction between phase one (cross sectional) and phase two (longitudinal)
It also explains that speed in answering questions does not = intelligence, since older ppl take longer to think
Also states flaw of longitudinal studies ( loss of participants, etc)
Define cohort
Group of ppl from a given time period
Define crystallized intelligence
Accumulated knowledge + verbal skills that increase w/ age
Define fluid intelligence
Ability to reason fast + abstractly theoretically that decreases during late adulthood
Cognitive benefits of aging
- More wise bc of experience
- Better decisions bc less impacted by - emotions : anxiety/depression
When does intelligence begin to stabalize?
Around 4 yrs of age
What did Deary’s longitudinal study find?
More intelligent children + adults live healthier and longer
What are some traits of those at the low intelligence extreme?
- Difficulty managing life to life situations
- Intellectually disabled
- May have down syndrome
Define intellectual disability
Person has BOTH low test score and hardship adapting to the normal demands of independent living.
Define conceptual skills
Skills involving lang. , literacy, and concepts of $, time and #
(a demand of normal living)
Define social skills
Interpersonal skills, social responsibility, and the ability to follow basic rules/laws + avoid being victimized
(a demand of normal living)
Define practical skills
Daily personal care, occupational skill, travel/healthcare
a demand of normal living
Define Down Syndrome
Condition of mild to severe intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.
What are some traits of those at the high intelligence extremes?
- High scoring children showed to be healthy, well-adjusted, and unusually successful academically.
- Pursue prestigious careers
- However, may be more isolated, introverted, and in their own worlds, still manage to thrive though
What are some critics about gifted programs?
- Create larger gap between ability groups
- Increase social isolation from each other
- Can promote segregation and prejudice
What is something that most ppl agree on in education?
Children have differing gifts.
Educating children as if all were the same is naïve
No labels needed to affirm children’s own special talents and to challenge them all around
How can we provide both equity and excellence for all?
W/ appropriate developmental placement
What evidence points to a genetic influence on intelligence?
-Studies of identical and fraternal twins show similarities in intelligence, stronger correlation in identical twins
Studies show heritability of g (general intelligence) increased as children grew (to match their biological parents more and more)
HEREDITY contributes to INDIVIDUAL differences, not group ones
Define heritability
Proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and env. studies.
How does environment affect intelligence?
-Deprived of interaction, children can develop significantly slower
-Malnutrition
-Sensory deprivation
-Social isolation
Can all delay normal brain development
What did J. McVicker Hunt discover?
Extreme deprivation was damaging native intelligence
What did Hunt do in response to his finding?
Negan tutored human enrichment: training caregivers to play lang. fostering games
What is a general finding of env. effect on intelligence?
Among economically impoverished, env. conditions can slow down cognitive development.
What effect does proper schooling have on intelligence?
Increases it
What other factors affect intelligence?
Own beliefs and motivation
Define fixed mindset
Believing that natural capabilities are set and cannot be developed w/ any amount of effort
Define growth mindset
Believing that you can work towards improving and developing abilities
How does gender affect intelligence scores?
Girls: Better spellers, more verbally fluent, better @ locating objects, Better @ detecting emotions, and + sensitive to taste, touch, and color.
Boys: Spatial ability + complex math
More boys in low extreme + high extreme
Do racial and ethnic groups have different test scores? Why?
Yes, racial groups differ in avg. intelligence test scores
Is racial gap environmental?
- Genetics research reveals that under skin, races are remarkably alike.
- Race is not a neatly defined biological category
Define stereotype threat
Self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a - stereotype
Are test discrimatory?
Yes, they distinguish among individuals
AND
No, purpose is to reduce subjective (personal opinions) criteria for school/jobs
