Intelligence Scores Over the Lifespan

Are Intelligence Scores Stable? The research about IQ score stability has historically gone through 3 phases: Phase 1: Cross-sectional Studies Phase 2: Longitudinal Studies Phase 3: It Depends

Are Intelligence Scores Stable? Phase 1: Cross-sectional Studies Early intelligence test researchers tested people of different ages Younger people scored higher than older people Their conclusion: “The decline of mental ability with age is a part of the general [aging] process of the organism.”

Are Intelligence Scores Stable?

Are Intelligence Scores Stable? Phase 2: Longitudinal Studies Psychologists began to test, then retest the same people several years later Their findings showed intelligence remained stable until late life

Are Intelligence Scores Stable?

Are Intelligence Scores Stable? Why the difference? The cross-sectional studies that compared 70 year-olds to 30 year-olds inadvertently had built-in mistakes Compared those who were raised in different eras, thus: compared less educated with better educated compared people raised in large families compared less affluent with more affluent

Are Intelligence Scores Stable? Phase 3: It Depends Longitudinal studies may have their own problems, such as those who survive to old age may be bright & healthy, least likely to decline Adjusting for loss of participants, interesting results occur Depending on the trait (multiple intelligence), some decline others improve

Are Intelligence Scores Stable? Crystallized intelligence, which is accumulated knowledge as reflected in vocabulary and analogy tests increase up to old age Fluid intelligence, which is our ability to reason speedily and abstractly decreases around the twenties and thirties

Are Intelligence Scores Stable?

Are Intelligence Scores Stable? Generally, as we age we lose recall memory and speed, but gain vocabulary knowledge Older adults also show: Less susceptibility to emotions affecting decision making Increased social reasoning as evidenced by being able to take multiple perspectives and acknowledging limits

Accomplishments Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book at age 64 Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa at 76 Roget first published his thesaurus at 73 Colonel Sanders began KFC in his 60’s Henry Ford created the assembly line at 60 “Aging is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.”

Intelligence Predictions from Early Life With the exception of extremely impaired or very precocious children, intelligence tests before age 3 only moderately predict future aptitude By age 4 performance on intelligence tests begin to predict adolescent and adult scores Scottish longitudinal study of 11 year-olds began in 1932 readministered 70 years later and showed +.66 correlation.

Intelligence in Early Life

Intelligence in Early Life Intelligence is correlated with living longer Higher scoring 11 year-olds more likely to be living independently at age 77 Of the girls scoring in the highest 25 percent, 70% were still alive at age 76 compared to 45% of those scoring in the lowest 25 percent (WWII prematurely ended the lives of many male test takers)

Extremes in Intelligence Valid tests do discriminate. Extremely low – Average – Extremely high

Extremes in Intelligence To be labeled as having an intellectual disability (formerly mental retardation), a person must have low test scores and difficulty adapting to the demands of independent living.

Extremes in Intelligence Intellectually disabled Criterion 1 Test scores of 70 or below on IQ tests that have 100 as mean Criterion 2: limitations in adaptive behavior Conceptual skills Social skills Practical skills

Extremes in Intelligence To be labeled as gifted, a person will score in the top 2% of the population, typically possessing an IQ of 130 or above.

Extremes in Intelligence Intellectually gifted Terman’s research demonstrated the gifted were socially well-adjusted, often skilled leaders, and above average in height, weight, and physical attractiveness. Critics and proponents of gifted education programs agree that children have different gifts, whether math, verbal processing, music, art, or social leadership.