Chapter 10Intelligence and Mental

Abilities

Intelligence

Intelligence Is Intelligence One General Ability

or Several Specific Abilities? Intelligence and Creativity Emotional Intelligence Is Intelligence Neurologically

Measurable?

Assessing Intelligence The Origins of Intelligence Testing Modern Tests of Mental Abilities Principles of Test Construction

The Dynamics of Intelligence Stability or Change? Extremes of Intelligence

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence Twin and Adoption Studies Heritability Environmental Influences Group Differences in Intelligence Test

Scores The Question of Bias

Think-Ink-ShareFind a partner in ANOTHER GROUP and

COMPLETE and DISCUSS the following prompt:

Intelligence is _______________. Smart people are ___________________.

Discussion:

Tests are a part of your everyday life. Some of them even help decide your future choices (ACT)

Questions: What makes a good

test? How do we make sure

the test in reliable? How do we make sure

the test is valid? Why is this important?

Discussion

Have you ever met anyone who is not very street smart, but does very well in school?

Would your regard this person as intelligent?

Big Bang Theoryhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=mpRkj6SwhvI

What is Intelligence?

Intelligence (in all cultures) is the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use our knowledge to adapt to new

situations.

In research studies, intelligence is whatever the intelligence test measures.

This tends to be “school smarts.”

General Intelligence

The idea that general intelligence (g) exists comes from the work of Charles

Spearman (1863-1945) who helped develop the factor analysis approach in

statistics.

Athleticism, like intelligence, is many things

General Intelligence

Spearman proposed that general intelligence (g) is linked to many clusters that can be analyzed by factor analysis.

For example, people who do well on vocabulary examinations do well on

paragraph comprehension examinations, a cluster that helps define verbal

intelligence. Other factors include a spatial ability factor, or a reasoning

ability factor.

Contemporary Intelligence Theories

Howard Gardner (1983, 1999) supports the idea that intelligence comes in

multiple forms. Gardner notes that brain damage may diminish one type of ability

but not others.

People with savant syndrome excel in abilitiesunrelated to general intelligence.

Howard GardnerGardner proposes eight types of

intelligences and speculates about a ninth one — existential intelligence. Existential intelligence is the ability to think about the

question of life, death and existence.

Take a MI Test

Robert Sternberg

Sternberg (1985, 1999, 2003) also agrees with Gardner, but suggests three intelligences rather than eight.

1. Analytical Intelligence: Intelligence that is assessed by intelligence tests.

2. Creative Intelligence: Intelligence that makes us adapt to novel situations, generating novel ideas.

3. Practical Intelligence: Intelligence that is required for everyday tasks (e.g. street smarts).

Intelligence and CreativityCreativity is the ability to produce ideas that

are both novel and valuable. It correlates somewhat with intelligence.

1. Expertise: A well-developed knowledge base.2. Imaginative Thinking: The ability to see things

in novel ways.3. A Venturesome Personality: A personality that

seeks new experiences rather than following the pack.

4. Intrinsic Motivation: A motivation to be creative from within.

5. A Creative Environment: A creative and supportive environment allows creativity to bloom.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand, and use emotions (Salovey and others, 2005). The test of emotional intelligence measures overall

emotional intelligence and its four components.

Emotional Intelligence: Components

Component Description

Perceive emotionRecognize emotions in

faces, music and stories

Understand emotion

Predict emotions, how they change and blend

Manage emotionExpress emotions in different situations

Use emotionUtilize emotions to adapt or

be creative

PSYCH GIGGLES

Emotional Intelligence: Criticism

Gardner and others criticize the idea of emotional intelligence and question whether

we stretch this idea of intelligence too far when we apply it to our emotions.

Assessing Intelligence

Psychologists define intelligence testing as a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with others

using numerical scores.

History of Intelligence Tests:

Francis Galton – Measurement of Psychosocial Performance (Darwin’s cousin)

He believed that people with excellent physical abilities are better adapted for survival highly intelligent

Francis Galton: cont.

How did he measure this?

1. Strength2. Reaction time3. Sensitivity to

pain4. Weight

discriminationProblem: How does

this correlate with reasoning ability?

Alfred Binet

Alfred Binet and his colleague Théodore Simon practiced a

more modern form of intelligence testing by developing questions

that would predict children’s future

progress in the Paris school system.

Lewis TermanIn the US, Lewis Terman adapted Binet’s test for

American school children and named

the test the Stanford-Binet Test. The following is the

formula of Intelligence Quotient (IQ), introduced by

William Stern:

David Wechsler

Wechsler developed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

(WAIS) and later the Wechsler Intelligence

Scale for Children (WISC), an

intelligence test for school-aged children.

WAISWAIS measures overall intelligence and 11 other aspects related to intelligence that

are designed to assess clinical and educational problems.

Online IQ testshttp://www.queendom.com/

Mensa Test

Think-Ink-ShareNumber students off 1-4Create Intelligence test questions with a

Partner.Write 5-10 questions Focus on your age groupYou have 5 minutesGroup Discussion

T-I-S DebriefDo questions seem reliable and valid?Can most students answer the questions?Are the questions culturally biased?What kind of abilities do the do the

questions measure? (i.e. Academic, performance etc)

Principles of Test Construction

For a psychological test to be acceptable it must fulfill the following three criteria:

1. Standardization

2. Reliability3. Validity

Standardization

Standardizing a test involves administering the test to a representative sample of future test takers in order to establish a basis for

meaningful comparison.

Normal Curve

Standardized tests establish a normal distribution of scores on a tested

population in a bell-shaped pattern called the normal curve.

Reliability

A test is reliable when it yields consistent results. To establish reliability researchers

establish different procedures:

1. Split-half Reliability: Dividing the test into two equal halves and assessing how consistent the scores are.

2. Test-Retest Reliability: Using the same test on two occasions to measure consistency.

What Makes A Good Test - ReliabilityIf a test in reliable, we should obtain the

same score no matter where, when, or how many times we take it

Types of Reliability:1. test-retest – take the test 2X (familiarity)2. Split half- compare evens and odds3. Alternative form – different versions are

comparedNote – if the same people took both exams

and got the same score = high interrater reliability

Validity

Reliability of a test does not ensure validity. Validity of a test refers to what the test is

supposed to measure or predict.

1. Content Validity: Refers to the extent a test measures a particular behavior or trait.

2. Predictive Validity: Refers to the function of a test in predicting a particular behavior or trait.

What Makes A Good Test: Validity

Validity – is the test measuring or predicting what it’s supposed to?

Example: Class test that doesn’t test what you’ve talked about in class

Five types of validity: 1. Face 2. Content 3. Criterion 4. Predictive 5. Construct

Face Validity:Face validity – a measure

of the extent to which the content of the test measures all of the knowledge or skills that are supposed to be included on the test- According to the test takers

Example: You expect that 8-10% of the Cognition material should be on the AP Test

Content Validity:Content Validity – same

as face validity except “according to the experts.

Example: Tests are completed by experts and sample populations to make sure that they are measuring what they are supposed to

Criterion Related Validity:Criterion Related

Validity – How does the test correlate with other tests being given?

Example: Do Mrs. Stewart’s tests compare to the AP Psych test given in May?

Predictive Validity:Predictive Validity – Does

the test predict future success?

Example: High ACT = success in college

Push for “College Readiness” in secondary school and reform

Construct Validity:Construct Validity –

Does the test measure the specific construct / behavior it is supposed to?

This is arguably the most important type of validity

Extremes of IntelligenceA valid intelligence test divides two groups of people into two extremes: the mentally retarded (IQ 70) and individuals with high

intelligence (IQ 135). These two groups are significantly different.

High Intelligence

Contrary to popular belief, people with high intelligence test scores tend to be healthy,

well adjusted, and unusually successful academically.

Mental Retardation

Mentally retarded individuals required constant supervision a few decades ago, but with a supportive family environment and special education they can now care for

themselves.

Mental Retardation (cont.)Savant Performance- a person with

mental retardation display exceptional skills in areas other than general intelligence

Skills could include: calculating large numbers, determining day of the week over centuries, musical instruments

Savant Clip

Flynn Effect

In the past 60 years, intelligence scores have risen steadily by an average of 27

points. This phenomenon is known as the Flynn effect.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence

No other topic in psychology is so passionately followed as the one that asks

the question, “Is intelligence due to genetics or environment?”

Genetic InfluencesStudies of twins, family members, and

adopted children together support the idea that there is a significant genetic

contribution to intelligence.

Heritability

The variation in intelligence test scores attributable to genetics. We credit

heredity with 50% of the variation in intelligence.

It pertains only to why people differ from one another, not to the individual.

Environmental Influences

Studies of twins and adopted children also show the following:

1. Fraternal twins raised together tend to show similarity in intelligence scores.

2. Identical twins raised apart show slightly less similarity in their intelligence scores.

Early Intervention Effects

Early neglect from caregivers leads children to develop a lack of personal control over the

environment, and it impoverishes their intelligence.

Romanian orphans with minimalhuman interaction are delayed in their development.

Brain Size and IntelligenceStudies have found a +.33

correlation between total brain size and intelligence test scores.Bigger brain does not

necessarily mean more intelligent.

However studies have found associations between brain size of specific areas of the brain and intelligence.Einstein had a normal sized

brain but his parietal lobe was 15% larger than average.

The Brain and IntelligenceIntelligence is due to the

development of neural connections in response to their environment or genetics.

One study looked at the amount of gray matter (neural cell bodies) and the amount of white matter (axons and dendrites) in the brain, and found a correlation with intelligence and an increased amount of gray matter.Especially in the areas of the

brain involved in memory, attention, and language.

Brain Functions and Intelligence

The frontal lobe organizes and coordinates information…and some people have a better workplace in their brains for those functions than others.

The correlation with perceptual speed and intelligence is +.3-+.5People who process

faster do score somewhat higher on intelligence test.

This does not mean that their neural processing is necessarily faster.

http://cognitivelabs.com/sightspeedtest3.htm

Schooling Effects

Schooling is an experience that pays dividends, which is reflected in intelligence scores. Increased schooling correlates with

higher intelligence scores.

To increase readiness for schoolwork,projects like Head Start facilitate leaning.

Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores

Why do groups differ in intelligence? How can we make sense of these differences?

History of Testing and Ethics:

Some groups, over time, have scored lower on intelligence tests and other standardized tests (ACT’s)

Critics have argued that these tests are culturally biased

Culture Relevant Tests – questions are based on cultural experiences of the specific test takers.

Is this necessary?Click the Pic!!!

Ethnic Similarities and Differences

1. Racial groups differ in their average intelligence scores.

2. High-scoring people (and groups) are more likely to attain high levels of education and income.

To discuss this issue we begin with two disturbing but agreed upon facts:

Racial (Group) Differences

If we look at racial differences, white Americans score higher in average

intelligence than black Americans (Avery and others, 1994). European New

Zealanders score higher than native New Zealanders (Braden, 1994).

White-Americans Black-Americans

Average IQ = 100 Average IQ = 85

Hispanic Americans

Environmental EffectsDifferences in intelligence among these

groups are largely environmental, as if one environment is more fertile in developing

these abilities than the other.

Reasons Why Environment Affects Intelligence1. Races are remarkably alike genetically. 2. Race is a social category.3. Asian students outperform North American

students on math achievement and aptitude tests.

4. Today’s better prepared populations would outperform populations of the 1930s on intelligence tests.

5. White and black infants tend to score equally well on tests predicting future intelligence.

6. Different ethnic groups have experienced periods of remarkable achievement in different eras.

Gender Similarities and DifferencesThere are seven ways in which males and

females differ in various abilities.

1. Girls are better spellers

2. Girls are verbally fluent and have large vocabularies

3. Girls are better at locating objects

4. Girls are more sensitive to touch, taste, and color

5. Boys outnumber girls in counts of underachievement

6. Boys outperform girls at math problem solving, but under perform at math computation

7. Women detect emotions more easily than men do

Gender Similarities and DifferencesFirst the differences between males and

females appear to be restricted to specific cognitive skills

Differences in cognitive abilities typically are small and in some cases appear to be diminishing---even when studied cross-culturally.

Cultural Attitude

Battle of the Sexes Spatial

The Question of Bias

Aptitude tests are necessarily biased in the sense that they are sensitive to performance differences caused by cultural differences.

However, aptitude tests are not biased in the sense that they accurately predict

performance of one group over the other.

Discussion Starter: Turn and Talk

1. What does “Ethics in testing” mean to you?

2. What kinds of considerations must you make sure to follow when testing?

3. Do you think that tests can be biased towards specific groups of people?

Test-Takers’ Expectations

A stereotype threat is a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based

on a negative stereotype.

This phenomenon appears in some instances in intelligence testing among

African-Americans and among women of all colors.

Chitling Test