what is intelligence?

Question 1

what is it?

Answer 1

Implicit theories – ask people!
Sternberg et al 1981: asked 185 people to list behaviours relating to intelligence , 122 other people rated these
Practical problem solving
Verbal ability
Intelligent people see something coming and avoid it and that is why they tend to live longer
Social competence

Question 2

what is intelligence, according to taiwainesse chinese

Answer 2

a general cognitive factor of intelligence
Inter-personal intelligence
Intra-personal intelligence
Intellectual self-assertion
Intellectual self-effacement
Different notions of what constitues intelligence in diff parts of the world

Question 3

the structure of abilities

Answer 3

administer lots of tests 
Do a factor analysis 
Spearman invented factor analysis  
Vocabulary 
Mathematical ability 
Visualization 
Ability to follow complex instructions 
Matching colours, matching musical pitch

Question 4

the structure of abilities >

Answer 4

Thurstones primary mental abilities
60 tests to 200 students, got 12 components
Deduction, word fluency ect
Why the difference? = spearman added up subscales whereas thurstone analysed them independantly.
Mathematical ability – adding, multiplying, long division, mental arithmetic

Question 5

crystallized intelligence =

Answer 5

Learned knowledge (verbal IQ tests)
Dependent on education
Increases over the lifetime

Question 6

fluid intelligence =

Answer 6

Capacity for deductive reasoning 
Ability to use new info to solve problems 
Relatively independent of education 
Declines in old age 
CANT CHANGE FLUID INTELLIGENCE 
Raven's progressive matrices

Question 7

intelligence: tests

Answer 7

Stanford-binet intelligence scale
Measuring G , the wechsler ad raven’s matrices
The wechsler tests: WAIS, delievers an IQ, can give people diff subsets of the test to assess peoples diff abilities, such as WORKING MEMORY (wechsler adult intelligence scale) , WISC ( wechsler intelligence scale for children)
The RAVEN’S PROGRESSIVE MATRICES

Question 8

intelligence is =

Answer 8

WHAT WE THINK IT IS, VARIES WITH CULTURE, EVIDENCE FOR UNDERLYING “G”

Question 9

intelligence is >

Answer 9

MEASURED USING HIGHLY NORMED TESTS
NVMA – RAVENS PROGRESSIVE MATRICES
IS HIGHLY GENETIC
BUT EVIDENCE OF INCREASE, AND DECREASE, DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS (FLYNN EFFECT)

Question 10

IQ scores =

Answer 10

used to be done as a ration , IQ = 100 x mental age / chronological age
Deviation IQ is now done, for any group: defined to be, average 100, SD of 15 (WAIS) (some are 16, some 18)
Expected distribution of IQ scores < check slides

Question 11

reliability =

Answer 11

yielding reproducible and consistent results

Question 12

with reference to test:retest , what would be exceptional reliability?

Answer 12

a correlation in the .90’s

Question 13

predictive validity – cognitive abilities test >

Answer 13

general ability factor

Question 14

GF =

Answer 14

fluid

Question 15

GC =

Answer 15

g is crystalised

Question 16

where does intelligence come from?

Answer 16

Nature / nurture: genes / environment
heritability - degree to which variation in trait stems from genetic, rather than environmental, differences among individuals

Question 17

the Flynn effect?

Answer 17

james flynn observed that intelligence was on the increase
Historical increase in IQ: FLYNN EFFECT
Improved performance on IQ tests over the years
Test same person on old and new version of test, usually score lower on new one!!
Big increases in tests assessing fluid intelligence, smallest in factual knowledge
Explanations?

Question 18

Flynn effect continued?

Answer 18

Test-taking sophistication 
Schooling 
Parental rearing styles 
Visual and technical environment  
Nutrition 
2,3,4 = cognitive stimulation, practice makes people better?

Question 19

summary >

Answer 19

Intelligence is what we think it is, varies with culture
Evidence for underlying ‘G’
Measured using highly normed tests
NVMA- ravens progressive matrices
is highly genetic
But evidence of increase ( possibly due to nutrition) and decrease due to environmental factors (FLYNN EFFECT)

Question 20

genes for intelligence >

Answer 20

Chabris et al 2012
recommendation : abandon gene association studies for intelligence
so , no ‘gene for intelligence’ BUT…..
Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) account for 0.22-0.46 of variance in intelligence , 17,000 genes, so P < .05/17000 = .000003

Question 21

gardners multiple intelligences >

Answer 21

Gardner – traditional understanding of intelligence (IQ testing) is too limited 
Logical/mathematical 
Linguistic/verbal 
musical  
Spatial 
naturalistic 
Assumes they are independent, discrete

Question 22

gardeners criteria =

Answer 22

Based on research review 8 criteria define an intelligence
The potential of isolation by brain damage
an evolutionary history and evolutionary plausibility
An identifiable core operation / set of operations
A distinct developmental history
The existence of savants, prodigies and other exceptional people
support from experimental psychological tasks
Support from psychometric findings
PEOPLE HAVE DIVERSE ABILITIES = MORE EGALITARIAN MESSAGE THAN G THEORISTS TELL

Question 23

critiscims of multiple intelligences =

Answer 23

does not expand theory of intelligence, denies existence of as it is traditionally understood, denies traditional notion of intelligence
multiple intelligences are simply expressions of general processes (ie – general intelligence)
Arbitrary criteria to define an intelligence
no empirical evidence and no usable tests

Question 24

Gardner vs Carroll

Answer 24

Gardners model is not hierarchical
Carroll finds gardners linguistic ability in his GC, musical is auditory perception, mathematical is GF, spatial is visual perception
no match for body and intrapersonal – non cognitive abilities

Question 25

learning styles =

Answer 25

Gardner - egalitarian message

Tests to astain what our learning styles are

Question 26

social intelligence according to thorndike 1920

Answer 26

Edward thorndike
Key aspect of intelligence
Intelligence = mechanical (ability to manage objects) , abstract (ability to manage ideas) and social (ability to manage people)
verbal intelligence
General knowledge intelligence (crystalised intelligence)
Social intelligence

Question 27

emotional intelligence =

Answer 27

EI = emotional intelligence, EQ = emotional quotent , interchangeably used
Ability EI model (salovey et al 1990), experimenting with recognition of emotions in faces as ability dimension.
Mixed EI model (goleman 1995): wide array of competencies and skills, touching on personality, potential for development.
Trait EI model
Defining ability EI = perceiving emotions, using emotions, understanding emotions, magaing emotions.
Mayer-Salovey-caruso EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TEST (MSCEIT)
Defining mixed EI model = self awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management, YOU CAN TRAIN TO BE BETTER < main aim of daniel goleman’s work, includes a set of emotional competencies that can be developed over time/training.

Question 28

trait emotional intelligence (EI) =

Answer 28

A constellation of emotional self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality hierarchies
Trait emotional self-efficacy is an alternative label for the same construct
Typical performance conceptulization of EI > assessed by self-report, personality like test instruments
TEIQ (petrides&furnham, 2001)

Question 29

problems =

Answer 29

Ability EI – who is an expert? What is consensus?
Mixed EI- where is the empirical evidence
Trait EI – reliable as typical performance but as all self-report measures prone to bias?
Validity studies can examine what EI predicts (over and above personality and other measures) for example > EI correllates with health

Question 30

consequences of intelligence =

Answer 30

The scottish mental survey
In 1931, scottish council for research in education decided to test scottish population on IQ
87, 498 children born in 1921 and attending school in scotland on 1 june 1932 sit the moray house test
Follow up since 1997 building several samples, ongoing

Question 31

childhood IQ and survival at age 76…..

Answer 31

2792 children from aberdeen traced
Childhood IQ at age 11
They found that lower scored IQ individuals were more likely to be dead
Mechanisms for association between IQ and early death – socio/economic environment, parental intelligence, nutrition, somatic/psychiatric illness can influence IQ , disease and injury preventation and management, system integrity (all the things that lead to a good body > produce a good brain), people at top of socioeconomic scale live longer than those at the bottom.

Question 32

smoking and cognitive decline =

Answer 32

Smoking affects cognitive change detrimentally from age 11 to age 80
Significant effect in general linear model
If smoking does not kill you by 80 it will affect your mental ability.

Question 33

association between cancer and high IQ =

Answer 33

if you live longer, something ultimately needs to get you, more chance of getting cancer

Question 34

from G to longevity =

Answer 34

Better genes > better informed> avoid risks > healthy lifestyle > live longer

Question 35

implications of intelligence =

Answer 35

Higher G linked to semen quality in a large US male sample (n=425)
G as a marker of developmental stability / biological integrity
People want someone funny, intelligent.
More intelligent men have better sperm

Question 36

summary =

Answer 36

No single gene for IQ
Emotional intelligence > clearly exists, hard to measure objectively
Intelligence links to longevity > avoid and address dangers, good genes build both body and brain
BEWARE OF FALSE CORRELATIONS, avoid saying this CAUSES THAT < IT IS ONLY A CORRELATION