Unit Seven: Psychological Testing and Intelligence No Test this unit!

Key Concepts in Psychological Testing Psychological Test – a standardized measure of a sample of a person’s behavior.

Two Principal Types of Tests Mental Ability Intelligence tests: general mental ability; intellectual potential Aptitude tests: specific types of mental ability Achievement tests: content/knowledge mastery Personality Personality tests: various aspects of personality (i.e. motives, interests, values, attitudes); sometimes called scales.

Test Characteristics 1. Standardization: administered/scored the same way each time test norms: used to compare scores to others raw score vs. percentile score 2. Reliability: consistency of a test test-retest reliability correlation coefficient (best = closest to +1.00) most.70 to.90

Validity Refers to the ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure. also refers to the accuracy/utility of the decisions made based on a test content validity: content representative of the intended domain (exam that tests on info that has not been taught/learned) criterion validity: correlation of test scores and an independent measure of a trait assessed on the test (i.e. pilot training...predictive validity) construct validity: measure of hypothetical construct (i.e. a test measuring extraversion should correlate negatively with one measuring introversion)

Standard Testing – Help me out Pros Cons

The Evolution of Intelligence Testing

History Sir Francis Galton: – nature v. nurture – Invented concepts of correlation, and percentile test scores Alfred Binet: – 1st useful intelligence test (1905) – mental age – mental performance typical of a child of that chronological age. Lewis Terman: – Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (1916) – intelligence quotient (IQ) = mental age/chronological age x 100 – can compare children of different ages David Wechsler: – Wechsler Adult Intelligent Scale [WAIS] (1939) – less dependent on verbal ability; includes non-verbal reasoning – separate scores for verbal, performance, and full-scale IQ. – Disregards IQ in favor of normal distribution

Theories - Intelligence is a… General Ability Debated by Charles Spearman Used Factor Analysis All cognitive abilities share g for general mental ability. Cluster of Abilitie L.L. Thurstone’s Primary Mental Abilities (7) – Word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning, and memory. – Led to SAT.

Intelligence Divided* Fluid Intelligence Reasoning ability, memory capacity, and speed of info processing. Fluid intelligence peaks at adolescence and declines around 30 or 40 (of course there will be exceptions). Crystallized Intelligence Ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills in problem solving. Crystallized intelligence will continue to expand throughout our lifetime

Basic Questions About Intelligence Testing

Meaning of IQ Scores? Normal Distribution – symmetric bell-shaped curve to represent patterns in the pop. – Normal falls near the center (average) Deviation IQ Scores – locate subjects precisely within the bell-curve, using standard deviation as the unit of measurement. Modern IQ scores indicate exactly where you fall in the normal distribution of intelligence. mean distribution = 100, standard deviation = 15

Intelligence Tests Reliability??? Yes Generally.90 correlation Sample behavior Score lowered by low motivation or high anxiety. Validity??? Yes for academic work, debatable in broad sense..70 correlation Sternbergs 3 categories of intelligence: – Verbal, practical, social

Are IQ scores stable over time? Preschool IQ is unstable

Do Intelligence Tests Predict Vocational Success? High IQ is more likely to land high-stakes job than low IQ.

Are IQ Tests Widely Used in Other Cultures? Western = yes Eastern = no (minus Japan) IQ tests do not translate well into the language and cognitive frameworks of other non-western cultures.

Extremes of Intelligence

Intellectual Disability New classification– intellectual disability Old classification – mental retardation Definition: subnormal general mental ability accompanied by deficiencies in adaptive skills, originating before 18. Adaptive skills = conceptual, social, practical skills. Levels: 1-3% of school-age population mild*, moderate, severe, profound origins: organic syndromes (Down syndrome, phenylketonuria, hydrocephaly); physiological and/or environmental factors

Giftedness Giftedness: not in theory, but in reality based almost entirely off of IQ top 2-3%; 130 = typical minimum IQ Terman's long-term study (longest running study ever) Ellen Winner: – moderately gifted ( ) v. profoundly gifted (180 and up) life success dependent upon: high intelligence, creativity, and motivation innate talent vs. hard work [drudge theory]? Simonton: innate talent and environment

Giftedness test - 1st grade misdiagnosis giftedness careers for people with intellectual disabilites The Horror of Willowbrook Session 9

Heredity/Environment as Determinants of Intelligence Nature, Nurture, and Intelligence

Family studies can only determine if genetic influence on a trait is plausible, not certain. Twin Studies (Nature) Identical v. fraternal intelligence –.86 versus.60 Reared apart identical v. fraternal twins –.72 versus.60 Adoption Studies When adopted children resemble biological parents in intelligence, when not raised by them, helps support genetic hypothesis. Hereditary Influence!!!

Heritability Ratio estimate of the proportion of trait variability determined by variations in genetic inheritance. – % chance of inheriting something like height (90%) or weight (85%) intelligence estimations = 40-80% Recent consensus = 50% – *group statistic

Environmental Influence Adoption Studies (Nurture) Children show some resemblance to their foster parents in IQ. Siblings reared together = greater IQ relationship – Identical twins too. – Unrelated children too. Environment Deprivation Cumulative Deprivation Hypothesis – gradual decline in IQ with age.

The Flynn Effect Performance on IQ tests has steadily increased over the years. Attributed to environmental factors

Interaction of heredity/environment Sandra Scarr Heredity may set certain limits on intelligence and that environmental factors determine where individuals fall within these limits. Reaction Range – refers to the genetically determined limits on IQ or other traits.

Culture Differences in IQ scores minorities tend to score (on average) points lower than whites Explanations: heritability (Arthur Jensen-1969); Herrnstein/Murry: The Bell Curve – problems: boundaries between racial groups porous/overlap – race must be social, not biological concept socioeconomic disadvantage: seed bag story (Leon Kamin) – Minorities grow up in more deprived environments that create disadvantage. – Ethnic class disadvantages are really just social class disadvantages in disguise. stereotype vulnerability (Claude Steele) – derogatory stereotypes = feelings of vulnerability in education – male/female, white/minority – undermines emotional investment, high test anxiety...lose/lose – Stanford featured study cultural bias on IQ tests: only weak and inconsistent effects; transcends racial lines in history

New Directions in the Assessment and Study of Intelligence

Investigating Cognitive Processes in Intelligent Behavior Sternberg’s Three Facet’s of Intelligence – Analytical: abstract reasoning, evaluation, judgment. – Creative: ability to generate new ideas and be inventive in dealing with novel problems. – Practical: dealing effectively with the kinds of problems people encounter in everyday life. Tacit knowledge – what one needs to know to work efficiently in an environment that is not explicitly taught and that is often not even verbalized.

Gardner’s Eight Intelligences (Multiple Intelligences Theory) IQ tests have emphasized verbal/math skills ignoring or excluding other important skills. Visual: Good with art and design Linguistic: Good with words Logical: Good with numbers and math Bodily: Good at action, movement and sports Musical: Good with music, tone and rhythm Interpersonal: Good at communicating with others Intrapersonal: Good at self-reflection Naturalistic: Good at appreciating the world and nature

Understanding Creativity Creativity – generation of ideas that are original and useful. Convergent thinking – narrow down a list of alternatives to converge on a single correct answer. – Elimination answer choices on m/c exam down to 1. Divergent thinking – expand the range of alternatives by generation many possible solutions. Threshold hypothesis – creative achievements require a minimum level of intelligence.