Intelligence the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use our knowledge to adapt to new situations In research studies It’s whatever the intelligence test measures Tends to be “school smarts”

 First intelligence tests were created by Francis Galton.  He failed… miserably.  Researchers used factor analysis to determine if intelligence was one or many things.  Spearman used FA and discovered g or general intelligence.  Doing well in one area of a test predicted that you will do well in another Spearman’s g

 Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon  Commissioned to create an objective test that would identify children who need special training  Test was loaded with abstract reasoning questions  They discovered that by discovering someone’s mental age they can predict future performance Assessing Intelligence

 An 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?  Lewis Terman revised Binet’s test.  Comparing children was awkward on Binet’s test  Created the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, centered on 100  Included an Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

 David Wechsler found the Stanford-Binet assessment hard to use with adults  Created the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)  Included many items that didn’t need verbal reasoning  Would eventually create the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) Assessing Intelligence

Wechsler’s Scoring

WAIS

WISC

Types of Tests Aptitude  Designed to predict a person’s future performance  The ability for that person to learn Achievement  Designed to assess what a person has learned

What Does our IQ Score Mean?  Tests are standardized so we can compare them meaningfully  Our score tells us where we fall on a normal distribution  How far above or below the average we are  Can also be converted to a percentile score  The percent of people who score below the score you obtained

Reliability & Validity Reliability  Consistency of a test  Split-half reliability  Form reliability  Test-retest reliability  Are IQ tests reliable?  Yes! Validity  Measuring what its designed to measure  Content validity  Criterion-related validity  Construct validity  Predictive validity  Are IQ tests valid?  Yes, but…  They are only valid measures of academic work

Other Types of Intelligence

Multiple Intelligences  Howard Gardner disagreed with Spearman’s g  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

 Simplified Gardner into 3 types of intelligences  Analytical  academic problem solving  Creative  generating novel ideas  Practical  required for everyday tasks where multiple solutions exist Sternberg’s Three Aspects of Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)  The ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions  EQ may be a greater predictor for future success than IQ

Extremes of Intelligence

 Also referred to as Mental Retardation  Refers to subaverage general mental ability accompanied by deficiencies in adaptive skills, originating before age 18  Communication  Self-care  Home living  Social interaction  Community use  Health/safety NOT  Retardation is NOT determined solely on IQ score. Intellectual Disabilities

Mental Retardation

 Causes  Most (75%) are unknown.  Here are some organic conditions that may cause mental retardation:  Down syndrome  Trisomy 21  Phenylketonuria (PKU)  Metabolic disorder due to enzyme deficiency; it is inherited.  Can be caught and treated early in infancy.  Hydrocephaly  Excessive cerebral spinal fluid in the skull which destroys brain tissue. Mental Retardation

 Most schools consider children who fall in the top 2%- 3% of the normal distribution to be gifted  Usually means a minimum IQ score of 130  All gifted children are not weird!  Moderately gifted children (IQ between ) are average or above average in social and emotional development.  Profoundly gifted children (IQ above 180) on the other hand, have been found to be introverted, socially isolated, and have high levels of emotional problems.  Giftedness does not necessarily mean you will be recognized for your genius. Giftedness

Is Intelligence Inherited or Learned?

Genetic Influences  Twin Studies  Identical twins reared apart show higher correlations of IQ (.72) than fraternal twins reared together (.60)

Environmental Influences  Family Studies  Siblings who live together have higher correlations than siblings who live apart

Environment & Heritability  Reaction range  Genetically determined limits on IQ  Children raised in an enriched environment will fall towards the upper limit  Children raised in a deprived environment will fall towards the lower limit

Environmental Influences  Intelligence scores have risen steadily by an average of 27 points  This phenomenon is known as the Flynn effect

 The IQ score for minority groups in the US, as a whole, tends to be lower than whites.  Why?  Socioeconomic disadvantage  Stereotype threat  Cultural bias in testing Cultural Differences

Aging & Intelligence  Crystallized Intelligence  Fluid Intelligence  Accumulated knowledge.  Increases with age.  Ability to solve problems quickly and think abstractly.  Peaks in the 20’s and then decreases over time.

 The generation of ideas that are original, novel, and useful.  Divergent thinking  Trying to come up with as many alternative answers as possible  Convergent thinking  Narrowing it down to one answer  Can it be tested?  Yes, but not well. At best, the tests are mediocre. Creativity

Creativity & Mental Illness