Intelligence

Intelligence refers to a broad range of cognitive abilities, but just what those abilities are & how they should be defined and measured remains a matter of debate.

The Essence of Intelligence

What is Intelligence?  Continues to be disputed  General def: involves abilities to acquire knowledge, reason, solve problems  Complete picture must include measurements from variety of tasks  A hypothetical construct: not directly observable, but instead inferred from behavior

Early Theories  Based on psychometric tradition – abilities that are measurable

Charles Spearman (1863 – 1945)  Emphasized “g” (the general intelligence factor)  Stable & measurable factor that underlies all skills & performance that requires cognitive ability  Recent rsch suggests single brain mechanism (frontal & parietal lobes) controls various forms of intelligence

Raymond Cattell (1905 – 1998)  Proposed 2 separate forms of “g”  Fluid intelligence: dynamic cognitive processes such as reasoning, seeing patterns & relationships, using info, and finding/applying new knowledge to decision making & problem solving  Crystallized intelligence: acquired knowledge & skills that are applied in variety of specific contexts

David Wechsler (1896 – 1981)  Defined intelligence as the ability to act purposefully, think rationally, & deal effectively with the environment

L.L. Thurstone (1887 – 1955)  Originator of multiple intelligences concept; did not support idea of general trait  Id’d 7 intellectual skill groups (primary mental abilities)  Verbal compr., verbal fluency, numerical reasoning, abstract reasoning, spatial visualization, perceptual speed, & overall memory  Recent rsch indicates influence of an overarching “g” factor

J.P. Guilford (1897 – 1987)  Proposed “structure of intellect” (SI) w/3 dimensions:  Content = what we think abt  Operations = how we go abt thinking  Products = results obtained  Viewed like a cube; yielded 150 different abilities

Current Theory  Influenced heavily by cognitive view  Goes beyond vocab, logic, problem solving skills  Rather, intelligence is cognitive processes

Robert Sternberg (Tufts University)  Proposed triarchic theory  3 kinds of intelligence, each relatively independent  Practical intelligence: adapting to one’s environment  Analytical intelligence: logical reasoning/mastering problem solving  Creative intelligence: coping w/new problems/situations & being creative

Howard Gardner (Harvard University)

Daniel Goleman (Lecturer, author for New York Times)  Proposes emotional intelligence (EQ) as a type of social intelligence  Five domains:  Self-awareness, managing emotions, motivating oneself, empathy, handling relationships

Role of Culture  Notion of “intelligence” has different meanings in different cultures  Many languages do not have word for intelligence  Ppl from all cultures value certain mental abilities

Measuring Intelligence

Assessing Intelligence  Historical records indicate interest in mental testing methods date to ancient China

Francis Galton  Fascinated with measuring human traits (father of eugenics)  1884 London Expo – assessed intellectual strengths of 9,000+ via body measurements  Quest for simple intelligence measure failed

Alfred Binet & Theodore Simon  Develop 1 st intelligence scale for French govt to identify students who require special education interventions in order to succeed (1904)

Distinct Features  Test scores were to be used to id children who needed help, not label them  Scores = estimate of current performance  Constructed the test empirically based on observations, not a theory  Emphasized training & opportunity could affect intellect

Binet-Simon Scores  Expressed in terms of mental age (MA): the avg age at which individuals achieve a particular score  Based on performance on 30 different problems that used abilities necessary for school  Compared MA to chronological age (CA)

The intelligence test improves  Refinements in scoring, expansion of content  Stanford-Binet Test (1916)  Lewis Terman, Stanford U.  Adapts Binet-Simon test for US  Standardized administration & age level norms  Introduces notion of IQ

Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale Mental Age (MA) IQ = X 100 Chronological Age (CA)  Became very popular test  Terman stated intelligence innate (believed test measured something fundamental & unchanging about ppl)

Robert Yerkes  Developed 1 st group IQ tests around same time for U.S. military, the Army Alpha and Beta tests

Appeal of Intelligence Testing  US was experiencing lg wave of immigration  New laws required universal education  Military needed way to assess & classify recruits, esp. for WWI

Consequences of Intelligence Testing  Led to wide-spread belief that intelligence tests accurately differentiated ppl in terms of mental abilities  Tests reinforced prevailing prejudices  Given to non-English speaking immigrants who routinely failed

Wechsler Scales  Family of individual tests for IQ  Provided for adults (WAIS), school-aged children (WISC), and pre-schoolers (WPPSI)  Measure many skills including vocab, verbal comprehension, arithmetic ability, similarities, digit span, block design

Wechsler Tests/Subtests

Question  Is intelligence testing (as a standard for comparison) necessary for society? Why/why not?

The Exceptional Child  Two categories:  Intellectually disabled  Gifted  What challenges do these specific groups face in school?

Today’s IQ Scale IQ ScoreDescription (Range) 130 and aboveVery Superior 120 – 129Superior 110 – 119High Average 90 – 109Average 80 – 89Low Average 70 – 79Borderline Intellectually Disabled 55 – 69Mild Intellectually Disabled 40 – 54Moderate Intellectually Disabled 25 – 39Severely Intellectually Disabled 24 & belowProfoundly Intellectually Disabled

The Intellectual Range Activity  What does it mean to be…?  Intellectually disabled  Of normal intelligence  Intellectually gifted  Identify at least 5 of the most critical attributes of this category – you may use your device

The Intellectual Range Activity  Written response: 1. What is most important to know about each of these intellectual ranges? 2. What challenges, if any, do these groups face?

Testing Today  Psychometricians continue to examine tests for biases & problems inherent in testing  Wide choice of testing instruments considered both valid & reliable in use today

Other Types of Tests  Aptitude  Achievement  Diagnostic