Chapter 9 Intelligence & Psychological Testing

Principle Types of Tests Standardized measure of a sample of a persons behavior Represent a sample of your behavior A)Mental ability - intelligence: measures general mental abilities - Aptitude: assess specific types of mental abilities - Achievement: gauge a persons mastery and knowledge of various subjects B) Personality test - measure various aspects of personality - also called scales b/c there’s no right or wrong

3 Aptitude and Achievement Tests Aptitude tests are intended to predict your ability to learn a new skill and achievement tests are intended to reflect what you have already learned.

Standardization & Norms Refers to the uniform procedures used in the administration and scoring of a test. Test norms: illustrate where your score falls in comparison to other scores Percentile score: indicates the percentage of people who score at or below the score one has obtained Sample of people that the norms are based on is called a tests standardized group or norm group

The Normal Curve and Stanford-Binet IQ Scores IQs less than 70 = mental retardation. More than 130 = gifted

Flynn Effect

Reliability Repeated measurements should yield reasoning similar results Split-half Reliability: Dividing the test into two equal halves and assessing how consistent the scores are. Reliability using different tests: Using different forms of the test to measure consistency between them. Test-Retest Reliability: Using the same test on two occasions to measure consistency. Should fall b/w * Correlation coefficient: is a numerical index of the degree of relationship b/w two variables

Validity Ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure A)Content validity: content of a test is representative of the domain its supposed to cover B)Criterion-related validity: estimate participants score w/ independent criterion C)Construct validity: the extent to which evidence shows that a test measures a particular hypothetical construct

Influential People Francis Galton: believed intelligence was hereditary - measured intelligence by our senses Alfred Binet: devised the first test to measure students mental abilities in mental age: he or she displayed the mental ability of a child of that actual age Lewis Terman and Stanford: David Wechsler: published the first high-quality IQ test for adults in 1939 (WAIS: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) IQ= Mental age/Chronological age X 100

IQ exams Q & A 1.What kind of questions? - vary depending on the age of subjects - WAIS: recognize vocab, figure out patterns, and basic memory 2. What do modern IQ scores mean? - bell curve: normal distribution - deviation IQ cores: locate subjects precisely within the normal distribution, using standard deviation as the unit of measurement - IQ tests set 15

11 Bell Curve Standard Deviation

More Q & A 3. Do intelligence test have adequate reliability? - correlation in the.90’s - the question of extraneous variables 4. Do intelligence tests have adequate validity? - purpose: to predict school performance - school grades & IQ scores Do intelligence tests predict vocational success? 6. Are IQ tests used in other cultures? - do not translate well into non-western cultures - might value different mental skills & have a different concept of intelligence

Mental Retardation Sub average mental abilities accompanied by deficiencies in adaptive skills, originating before age 18 Cut off point has changed 4 times Levels: % of school aged children 2. mild: sixth grade by late teens 3. moderate: 2 nd -4 th grade 4. Severe: limited speech toilet habits 5. Profound: little to no speech, not toilet trained; relatively unresponsive to training

Robert Stenberg Conducts study surveying what people considered intelligent 1.Verbal - verbally fluent - speaks clearly - knowledgeable about a particular field - reads w/ high comprehension 2.Practical - sees all aspects of a problem - makes good decisions - poses problems in an optimal way 3.Social - accepts others for what they are - thinks before speaking - sensitive to other peoples needs & desires

Giftedness most school districts consider children who fall in the upper 2-3% of the IQ distribution to be gifted stereotyped as weak, sickly, socially awkward Terman’s longitudinal study: breaking the stereotypes Emily Winners study comparing gifted students falling from a and profoundly intelligent ( )

Gifted Achievement three ring conception of eminent giftedness - need these three in order to achieve new heights as adult question of those who work hard being considered geniuses

Hereditary Influence on Intelligence b/c those that share genes probably share environments we must look into twin & adoption studies Twins - compare fraternal vs. identical - studies prove that intelligence is inherited Adoptive studies - correlation w/ parent over.20 Foster Care - those who were raised in poverty did not advance intellectually as other kids - those that were switched from fosters homes in poverty increased their IQ scores by pts

Cultural Differences Minority groups fall below whites by 3-15 pts If studies showed that genes dictates intelligence than are there races that are less intelligent? Minorities are often raised in lower social classes Lower class scores are below by 15 pts even when studying just whites

Spearman’s g theory Factor analysis: correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify closely related clusters of variables G= general ability - peoples special abilities are determined by their general ability Thurstone – Carved mental abilities into seven factors = primary mental abilities ( word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning & memory) g should be divided into - fluid intelligence: reasoning, memory, speed of info processing - crystalized intelligence: ability to apply knowledge & skills in problem solving skills