Ch 11: Testing & Individual Differences PowerPoints® from: Meyers Psychology, Zimbardo Psychology: AP Edition, Kap AP Psychology Commune ( & Tammy Dorganhttp://appsychology.com 02/09

Intelligence What makes us intelligent Or Not so intelligent

Intelligence The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations. Is socially constructed thus… Can be culturally specific. According to this definition, are both Einstein and Ruth intelligent?

Is intelligence one thing or several different abilities? To find out scientists use FACTOR ANALYSIS: A statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test. Charles Spearman used FA to discovery his g or (general intelligence). He saw using FA that doing well in one area of a test predicted that you will do well in another.

Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner disagreed with Spearman’s g and instead came up with the concept of multiple intelligences. He came up with the idea by studying savants (a condition where a person has limited mental ability but is exceptional in one area).

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Visual/Spatial Verbal/Linguistic Logical/Mathematical Bodily/Kinesthetic Musical/Rhythmic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Natural Learn More about Gardner

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Often measured on IQ tests with reading comprehension and vocabulary tests Ex: T.S. Eliot (Poet)

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Often measured on IQ tests with analogies, math problems and logic problems Ex: Albert Einstein (Scientist)

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Ability to form mental images of objects and think about their relationships in space Ex: Pablo Picasso (Artist)

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Ability to perceive and create patterns of rhythms and pitches Ex: Igor Stravinsky (Composer)

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Ability for controlled movement and coordination Ex: Michael Jordan (Basketball Player)

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Ability to understand other people’s emotions, motives and actions Ex: Gandhi (Leader)

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Ability to know oneself and to develop a sense of identity Ex: Freud

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Naturalistic ability to recognize patterns and relationships in nature (outdoors/conservation) Ex: Charles Darwin

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Spiritual spirituality/religiosity Ex: Dalai Lama

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Existential Human existence/ meaning of life Ex: Aristotle

Sternberg’s Three Aspects of Intelligence (AKA: Triarchic Theory) Gardner Simplified Analytical (academic problem solving). Creative (generating novel ideas) Practical (required for everyday tasks where multiple solutions exist).

You Tube Clips The Boy with the Incredible Brain (Savant Syndrome) Clip 1: AnLg Clip 2: ZQ3c&feature=related

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) First called social intelligence. The ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions. Some studies show EQ to be a greater predictor for future success than IQ

Emotional Intelligence: Components ComponentDescription Perceive emotion Recognize emotions in faces, music and stories Understand emotion Predict emotions, how they change and blend Manage emotion Express emotions in different situations Use emotion Utilize emotions to adapt or be creative

Brain Size and Intelligence Is there a link? Small +.15 correlation between head size and intelligence scores (relative to body size). Using an MRI we found +.44 correlation with brain size and IQ score.

Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable? Recent Studies indicate some correlation (about +.40) between brain size and intelligence. As brain size decreases with age, scores on verbal intelligence tests also decrease. Gray matter concentration in people with high intelligence.

Brain Function and Intelligence Higher performing brains use less active than lower performing brains (use less glucose). Neurological speed is also a bit quicker.

Origins 1800s: Sir Francis Galton dev instruments to evaluate the heritability of human char. (Intelligence is inherited) 1905: Binet & Simon dev test to id students in need of special ed in France 1916: Binet-Simon test revised by Lewis Terman>Stanford-Binet WWI breaks out; recruits must be tested quickly (1917) –Alpha (Verbal>Literates) –Beta (Non-Verbal>Illiterates) –Group admin of IQ testing –High scoring recruits>officer/low scoring>calvary/rejected

How do we Assess Intelligence? Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon set out to figure out a concept called a mental age (what a person of a particular age should know). They discovered that by discovering someone’s mental age they can predict future performance. Hoped they could use test to help children, not label them.

Terman and his IQ Test A 8 year old has a mental age of 10, what is her IQ? A 12 year old has the mental age of 9, what is his IQ? A boy has the mental age of 10 and an IQ of 200, how old is he? Used Binet’s research to construct the modern day IQ test called the Stanford- Binet Test. IQ=Mental age/Chronological age X 100.

Problems with the IQ Formula It does not really work well on adults, why? then his IQ would be 50!!!!!! If a 60 year old mandoes as well as an average 30 year old That makes no sense!!!!!

Modern Tests of Mental Abilities Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) consists of 11 subtests and cues us in to strengths by using….. Factor Analysis

Aptitude v. Achievement Tests Aptitude A test designed to predict a person’s future performance. The ability for that person to learn. Achievement A test designed to assess what a person has learned.

How do we construct Intelligence tests? Tests must be: Standardized Reliable Valid

Standardization The test must be pre-tested to a representative sample of people and Form a normal distribution or bell curve

Flynn Effect

Need to restandardize Data indicates population has gotten smarter over the past 50 yrs An IQ of 100 may mean diff things in diff yrs depending on the standardization sample (grp of people who rep the entire pop)

Reliability The extent which a test yields consistent results over time. Spilt halves or test–retest method.

Validity The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure. Content Validity: does the test sample a behavior of interest Predictive Validity: does the test predict future behavior. Criterion related validity

Does Intelligence Change Over Time? By age 3, a child’s IQ can predict adolescent IQ scores. Depends on the type of intelligence, crystallized or fluid.

Psychometric Theories of Intelligence Crystallized intelligence (Concrete) – The knowledge a person has acquired, plus the ability to access that knowledge Fluid intelligence (flexible) – The ability to see complex relationships and solve problems Make up Cattell & Horn’s “g” factor

Extremes of Intelligence 70 below>mentally retarded 135+>Highly intelligent

Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores The Bell curve is different for Whites v. Black. Math scores are different across genders and the highest scores are for Asian males. Why? Nature or Nurture

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence No other topic in psychology is so passionately followed as the one that asks the question, “Is intelligence due to genetics or environment?”

Eugenics in the Culture Wars of the 1920s: Some Approaches to Studying a Neglected Topic

Genetic Influences Studies of twins, family members, and adopted children together support the idea that there is a significant genetic contribution to intelligence.

Adoption Studies Adopted children show a marginal correlation in verbal ability to their adopted parents.

Environmental Influences Studies of twins and adopted children also show the following: 1.Fraternal twins raised together tend to show similarity in intelligence scores. 2.Identical twins raised apart show slightly less similarity in their intelligence scores.

Early Intervention Effects Early neglect from caregivers leads children to develop a lack of personal control over the environment, and it impoverishes their intelligence. Romanian orphans with minimal human interaction are delayed in their development.

Schooling Effects Schooling is an experience that pays dividends, which is reflected in intelligence scores. Increased schooling correlates with higher intelligence scores. To increase readiness for schoolwork, projects like Head Start facilitate leaning.

Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores Why do groups differ in intelligence? How can we make sense of these differences?

Ethnic Similarities and Differences 1.Racial groups differ in their average intelligence scores. 2.High-scoring people (and groups) are more likely to attain high levels of education and income. To discuss this issue we begin with two disturbing but agreed upon facts:

Racial (Group) Differences If we look at racial differences, white Americans score higher in average intelligence than black Americans (Avery and others, 1994). European New Zealanders score higher than native New Zealanders (Braden, 1994). White-Americans Black-Americans Average IQ = 100 Average IQ = 85 Hispanic Americans

Environmental Effects Differences in intelligence among these groups are largely environmental, as if one environment is more fertile in developing these abilities than another.

Reasons Why Environment Affects Intelligence 1.Races are remarkably alike genetically. 2.Race is a social category. 3.Asian students outperform North American students on math achievement and aptitude tests. 4.Today’s better prepared populations would outperform populations of the 1930s on intelligence tests. 5.White and black infants tend to score equally well on tests predicting future intelligence. 6.Different ethnic groups have experienced periods of remarkable achievement in different eras.

Gender Similarities and Differences There are seven ways in which males and females differ in various abilities. 1. Girls are better spellers 2. Girls are verbally fluent and have large vocabularies 3. Girls are better at locating objects 4. Girls are more sensitive to touch, taste, and color 5. Boys outnumber girls in counts of underachievement 6. Boys outperform girls at math problem solving, but under perform at math computation 7. Women detect emotions more easily than men do

The Question of Bias Aptitude tests are necessarily biased in the sense that they are sensitive to performance differences caused by cultural differences. However, aptitude tests are not biased in the sense that they accurately predict performance of one group over the other.

Stereotype Threat A stereotype threat is a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype. This phenomenon appears in some instances in intelligence testing among African-Americans and among women of all colors.

Test Bias? Tests do discriminate. But some argue that there sole purpose is to discriminate. We have to look at the type of discrimination.