What makes us intelligent Or Not so intelligent 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?

How Do We Measure Individual Differences? Measuring individual differences is an essential component of psychology, but strict guidelines and ethical standards must be followed to ensure results and conclusions are valid and appropriate Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

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

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.

Standardization and Norms Scientists use statistics to establish a normal curve This curve can be used to describe most phenomena Normal range – Scores falling near the middle of a normal distribution Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

The Normal Distribution of IQ Scores Many Number of Persons Normal Range Few 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 100 IQ Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Assessment Prompt #1 If a test measures the information that was covered during the course, the test is said to have good: a. Face validity b. Content validity c. Criterion validity d. Predictive validity e. Reliability What percentage of scores lie within the normal range in a normal distribution? a. 34% b. 100% c. 68% d. 50% e. 42%

How is intelligence measured? Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

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? If a 60 year old man does as well as an average 30 year old then his IQ would be 50!!!!!! 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 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.

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.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007 The Exceptional Child Mental retardation – Often conceived as representing the lower 2% of the IQ range Giftedness – Often conceived as representing the upper 2% of the IQ range Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Assessment Prompt #2 On an IQ test, a 6 year old scores a mental age of 8. What is their IQ? a. 75 b. 80 c. 112 d. 120 e. 133 A child whose IQ is ______ would be classified as _____ a. 60; normal b. 100; gifted c. 60; mentally challenged d. 150; normal e. 60; gifted

Theories of Intelligence

Charles Spearman and his G factor Used factor analysis and discovered that what we see as many different skills is actually one General Intelligence. If you are good at one subject you are usually good at many others. Jack Bauer is good at torturing, bomb defusing, shooting, figuring out evil plots and saving the country (and he is good looking). Is there anything he cannot do?

Psychometric Theories of Intelligence Crystallized intelligence – The knowledge a person has acquired, plus the ability to access that knowledge Fluid intelligence – The ability to see complex relationships and solve problems Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

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).

Howard Gardner and Multiple Intelligences Gardner believed that there exists at least 7 different types of intelligences. Linguistic Logical-mathematical Spatial Musical Body-kinesthetic Intrapersonal Interpersonal Naturalist

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Often measured on IQ tests with reading comprehension and vocabulary tests Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Often measured on IQ tests with analogies, math problems and logic problems Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Ability to form mental images of objects and think about their relationships in space Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Ability to perceive and create patterns of rhythms and pitches Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Ability for controlled movement and coordination Bodily-Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Ability to understand other people’s emotions, motives and actions Interpersonal Intrapersonal Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Spatial Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic Ability to know oneself and to develop a sense of identity Interpersonal Intrapersonal Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

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

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 Goleman

Assessment Prompt #3 The concept of ______ was denoted by the symbol “g” by Charles Spearman a. Giftedness b. General intelligence c. Gender d. Genetics e. Genius According to Sternberg, Picasso would score high on ______ intelligence a. Creative b. Analytic c. Experiential d. Practival e. triarchic

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

How do we construct an Intelligence Test? Standardized: the questions have been piloted on similar populations and the scores fall on a normal distribution. Reliable: Test-Retest, Split-halves Methods. Validity: Content, Predictive or Construct.

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

Flynn Effect

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.

Extremes of Intelligence

Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores Scarr and Wienberg 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

How Do Psychologists Explain IQ Differences Among Groups? Hereditarian arguments maintain that intelligence is substantially influenced by genetics Environmental approaches argue that intelligence can be dramatically shaped by influences such as Health Economics Education Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Heritability and Group Differences Heritability – Amount of trait variation within a group, raised under the same conditions, that can be attributed to genetic differences Heritability says nothing about between-group differences Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Heritability and Group Differences Research with twins and adopted children shows genetic influences on a wide range of attributes, including intelligence Research has also shown that racial and class differences in IQ scores can be eliminated by environmental changes Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

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

Assessment Prompt #4 An example of _____ is a person who expects to do poorly on a math test, and then does poorly a. An accurate “g” b. Divergent thinking c. Chrystalized intelligence d. Lack on interpersonal intelligence e. A self-fulfilling prophesy The research of Scarr and Wienberg point to the fact that _____ can have a huge effect on IQ a. Heredity b. Environment c. Siblings d. Genes e. Nature