IntelligenceIntelligence Chapter 11

What is intelligence? A mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

Origins of Intelligence Intelligence Test –a method of assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them to those of others, using numerical scores

History of Intelligence Tests Francis Galton (Darwin’s cousin) –Eugenics

Origins of Intelligence Mental Age (Simon and Binet) –a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet –chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance –child who does as well as the average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8

Origins of Intelligence Lewis Terman (Stanford University) –Stanford-Binet the widely used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence test cultural bias

Origins of Intelligence Intelligence Quotient (IQ) –Stern –defined originally the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 IQ = ma/ca x 100 –on contemporary tests it is the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100 Reification –Regarding something abstract as a material thing

Assessing Intelligence Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) –Most widely used intelligence test

Assessing Intelligence Aptitude test –A test designed to predict a person’s future performance –Aptitude is the capacity to learn –Example: SAT Achievement test –A test designed to assess what a person has learned –Example: FCAT

Are There Multiple Intelligences? Factor Analysis –statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test –used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie one’s total score General Intelligence (g) –factor that Spearman and others believed underlies specific mental abilities –measured by every task on an intelligence test

Are There Multiple Intelligences? Social Intelligence –the know-how involved in comprehending social situations and managing oneself successfully Emotional Intelligence –ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions –critical part of social intelligence

Assessing Intelligence Standardization –defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested “standardization group” Normal Curve –the 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

The Normal Curve Ninety-five percent of all people fall within 30 points of 100 Number of scores Wechsler intelligence score Sixty-eight percent of people score within 15 points above or below 100

Getting Smarter? Intelligence test performance has been rising Flynn Effect – 3 pts. per decade

Criteria for Assessing Intelligence Reliability –the extent to which a test yields consistent results –assessed by consistency of scores on: two halves of the test alternate forms of the test retesting the same individual Validity –the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is suppose to

The Dynamics of Intelligence Mental Retardation –a condition of limited mental ability –indicated by intelligence scores below 70 –produces difficulty in adapting to the demands of life –varies from mild to profound Down Syndrome –retardation and associated physical disorders caused by an extra chromosome in genetic make-up Savant Syndrome –Condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an amazing specific skill

Genetic Influences Heritability –the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes –variability depends on range of populations and environments studied –Twin studies

Genetic Influences The most genetically similar people have the most similar scores Similarity of intelligence scores (correlation) Identical twins reared together Identical twins reared apart Fraternal twins reared together Siblings reared together Unrelated individuals reared together

Nurture Influences Hunt and the Head Start Program