1. What is Intelligence?
Definition:
3 main characteristics 1) 2) 3)

2. Brief History of Intelligence Testing

3. Alfred Binet

4. Lewis Terman (Mental Age) (Chronological Age)
X = IQ (Intelligence Quotient)

5. The Normal Curve and Stanford-Binet IQ Scores
IQs less than 70 = Intellectually Disabled. More than 130 = gifted
Fig. 8.1

6. Problems with the IQ Formula

7. David Wechsler

8. Intelligence Tests Today
Updated versions of Stanford-Binet and Wechsler tests are most commonly used intelligence tests today
IQ score no longer determined by dividing mental age by chronological age
Now compare total score to others at age level
Average score = 100
Other scores based on amount of deviation from average
“normal curve”
Score reflects relative standing within population of your age

9. Psychological Test Concepts

10. Types of Psychological Tests
Intelligence Tests
Aptitude Tests
A test designed to measure a person’s capacity to learn certain things or perform certain tasks
SAT, ACT, and GRE (verbal and quantitative components), Wonderlic
Look to measure “potential”
Achievement Tests
A measure of what a person has accomplished or learned in a particular area
MCA tests, AP Psychology Exam
Personality Tests

11. Aptitude v. Achievement Tests

12. How do we construct Intelligence tests?
Tests must be:

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

14. Determining Test Quality
Standardizing
Conditions surrounding a test are as similar as possible for everyone who takes it
Helps eliminate possible bias of those giving or scoring the test – objective
Norms
Description of frequency at which particular scores occur, allowing scores to be compared statistically
Standardization group
Representative sample of people pretested to determine meaningful scores
Percentile score
Percent of individuals in normative group whom the individual has scored above

15. Reliability
Spilt halves or test–retest method.

16. Reliability
The degree to which a test can be repeated with the same results
“Test-Retest Reliability”
A group of people take the same test twice
“Alternate Form Reliability”
Different, but similar test on 2nd trial – reduce practice effects
“Split-half” method
Correlation is calculated b/w person’s scores on two comparable halves of test (“Internal Consistency Reliability”)
Inter-Rater reliability
Determine degree to which different raters/observers give consistent estimates of same phenomenon

17. Does Intelligence Change Over Time?

18. Validity Content Validity: does the test sample a behavior of interest
Predictive Validity: does the test predict future behavior.
Criterion related validity

19. Validity
The degree to which test scores are interpreted correctly and used appropriately
Content validity
Content of a test is a fair, representative sample of what the test is supposed to measure
Criterion-related validity (predictive validity)
Correlation between test scores and an independent measure of what it is supposed to assess
Construct validity
Extent to which scores suggest test is measuring theoretical construct it claims to measure

20. Flynn Effect

21. The Flynn Effect
Performance on IQ scores has steadily increased over generations
Environmental factors?

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

23. Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores
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

24. Theories of Intelligence

25. Is intelligence one general trait or many specific abilities?

26. Is intelligence one general trait or many specific abilities?
L.L. Thurstone

27. Information Processing Approach
Theory that attempts to understand intelligence by examining the mental operations (i.e. attention, memory) involved in intelligent behavior

28. Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Robert Sternberg (Tufts University)
3 types of intelligence:
Analytic:
Creative:
Practical:

29. Multiple Intelligences (MI) Theory
Howard Gardner (Harvard)

30. Multiple Intelligences (MI) Theory
Linguistic
Logical-mathematical
Spatial
Musical
Body-kinesthetic
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Naturalistic
Commonly measured in intelligence tests
Suggests they interact, but can function with some independence
Some can become more developed than others
Critics suggest that many of these are better labeled as “skills” than “intelligences”
Also, don’t really have dependable measures

31. Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman, Peter Salovey, John D. Mayer, & others

32. Is intelligence one thing or several different abilities?
To find out scientists use FACTOR ANALYSIS:
He saw using FA that doing well in one area of a test predicted that you will do well in another.

33. 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).

34. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences?
Visual/Spatial
Verbal/Linguistic
Logical/Mathematical
Bodily/Kinesthetic
Musical/Rhythmic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Natural
Learn More about Gardner

37. Sternberg’s Three Aspects of Intelligence
Gardner Simplified
Analytical (academic problem solving).
Creative (generating novel ideas)
Practical (common sense).

38. Gardner’s Three New Intelligences
Naturalistic intelligence
Spiritual intelligence
Existential intelligence

39. Types & Characteristics of Tests
Aptitude: person’s capability
Achievement: person’s knowledge of subject
Characteristics
Validity: the ability of the test to measure what you say it will measure
Reliability: the ability of the test to measure a construct with consistency
Standardization: the use of reference scores for interpreting an individual’s performance

40. Types of Validity & Reliability of Tests
Content: Complete range of material
Criterion: Compare to other tests of the same measure (high on SAT, high on ACT)
Predictive: future performance (MCAT)
Construct: theoretical or hypothetical construct (depression, intelligence)
Reliability
Test-retest:
Alternate form:
Inter-rater:

41. 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.