Unit 11: Testing and Individual Differences

Unit 11 - Overview Introduction to Intelligence Assessing Intelligence The Dynamics of Intelligence Studying Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence Group Differences and the Question of Bias Click on the any of the above hyperlinks to go to that section in the presentation.

Module 60: Introduction to Intelligence

Introduction Intelligence Intelligence test

Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities?

Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities? Spearman’s General intelligence (g) Factor analysis Comparison to athleticism Thurstone’s counter argument g

Gardner’s Eight Intelligences Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities? Theories of Multiples Intelligences: Garner’s Eight Intelligences Savant syndrome Gardner’s Eight Intelligences Linguistic Logical-mathematical Musical Spatial Bodily-kinesthetic Intrapersonal Interpersonal Naturalist Grit

Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities? Theories of Multiples Intelligences: Garner’s Eight Intelligences Grit

Sternberg’s Three Intelligences Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities? Theories of Multiples Intelligences: Sternberg’s Three Intelligences Sternberg’s Three Intelligences Analytical (academic problem-solving intelligence Creating intelligence Practical intelligence

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence Perceive emotions Understand emotions Manage emotions Use emotions for adaptive or creative thinking

Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable?

Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable? Brain Size and Complexity Brain size studies Brain complexity studies Neural plasticity Gray matter versus white matter

Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable? Brain Function Perceptual speed Neurological speed

Module 61: Assessing Intelligence

Origins of Intelligence Testing

Origins of Intelligence Testing Francis Galton’s intelligence testing Reaction time Sensory acuity Muscular power Body proportions Hereditary Genius

Alfred Binet Identifying French school children in need of assistance Origins of Intelligence Testing Alfred Binet: Predicting School Achievement Alfred Binet Identifying French school children in need of assistance Mental age Chronological age

Origins of Intelligence Testing Lewis Terman: The Innate IQ Stanford-Binet Test Lewis Terman New age norms Adding superior end

Origins of Intelligence Testing Lewis Terman: The Innate IQ Intelligence quotient (IQ) IQ = (mental age/chronological age) X 100 IQ of 100 is considered average World War I testing

Modern Tests of Mental Abilities

Modern Tests of Mental Abilities Achievement tests Aptitude tests

Modern Tests of Mental Abilities Achievement tests Aptitude tests

Modern Tests of Mental Abilities Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)

Principles of Test Construction

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Normal curve (bell curve)

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Normal curve (bell curve)

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Normal curve (bell curve)

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Normal curve (bell curve)

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Normal curve (bell curve)

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Normal curve (bell curve)

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Normal curve (bell curve)

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Normal curve (bell curve)

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Flynn effect

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Flynn effect

Principles of Test Construction Reliability Scores correlate Test-retest reliability Split-half reliability

Principles of Test Construction Validity Content validity Criterion Predictive validity

Module 62: The Dynamics of Intelligence

Stability or Change?

Stability or Change? Aging and Intelligence Cross-Sectional Evidence Longitudinal Evidence Cohort

Stability or Change? Aging and Intelligence It all depends Crystallized intelligence Fluid intelligence

Stability or Change? Stability Over the Life Span

Extremes of Intelligence

Extremes of Intelligence The Low Extreme Intellectual disability Mental retardation Down syndrome 21st chromosome Mainstreamed

Extremes of Intelligence The High Extreme Terman’s study of gifted Self-fulfilling prophecy Appropriate developmental placement

Module 63: Studying Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Twin and Adoption Studies

Twin and Adoption Studies Identical twin studies Polygenetic Heritability Adoptive children studies

Heritability

Heritability

Heritability

Heritability

Heritability

Heritability

Environmental Influences

Environmental Influences Early environmental influences Tutored human enrichment Targeted training Schooling and intelligence Project Head Start

Module 64: Group Differences on the Question of Bias

Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores

Emotion-detecting ability Math and spatial aptitudes Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores Gender Similarities and Differences Spelling Verbal ability Nonverbal ability Sensation Emotion-detecting ability Math and spatial aptitudes

Ethnic similarities Ethnic differences Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores Racial and Ethnic Similarities and Differences Ethnic similarities Ethnic differences

The Question of Bias

The Question of Bias Two meanings of bias Test-taker’s expectations Popular sense Scientific sense Test-taker’s expectations Stereotype threat

The End

Definition Slides

Intelligence = mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

Intelligence Test = a method of assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores.

General Intelligence (g) = a general intelligence factor that, according to Spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test.

Factor Analysis = a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify difference dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score.

Savant Syndrome = a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing.

Grit = the in psychology, grit is passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals.

Emotional Intelligence = the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.

Mental Age = a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance. Thus, a child who does as well as the average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8.

Stanford-Binet = the widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet’s original intelligence test.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) = defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (thus, IQ=ma/ca X 100). On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100, with scores assigned to relative performance above or below average.

Achievement Tests = tests designed to assess what a person has learned.

Aptitude Tests = tests designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) = the WAIS is the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests.

Standardization = defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group.

Normal Curve = a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.

Reliability = the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternate forms of the test or on retesting.

Validity = the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is suppose to.

Content Validity = the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest.

Predictive Validity = the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior (also called criterion-related validity).

Cohort = a group of people from a given time period.

Crystallized Intelligence = our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.

Fluid Intelligence = our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood.

Intellectual Disability = a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life. Formerly referred to as mental retardation

Down Syndrome = a condition of mild to severe intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.

Hereditability = the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The hereditability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.

Stereotype Threat = a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype.