What is Intelligence? INTELLIGENCE the cognitive abilities (thinking, reasoning, problem-solving) of a person based on his or her experiences

Testing and Individual Differences Fast Track Chapter 9 (Bernstein Chapter 10) Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911)

father of psychometrics--the measurement of knowledge and ability by using defined tests

believed intelligence is based on genetics

intelligence, therefore, was the result of heredity

inspired the “eugenics” movement

major criticism...studied only males Charles Spearman (early 20th century)

studied intelligence using factor analysis--a statistical method used to show the relationship between variables

believed there was a single intelligence which he called g

if a person was intelligent in one area, then he or she was intelligent in other areas as well

noted that within the g, there exist specific intelligences known as s

believed each person possesses specific knowledge about a subject

said those with high g also display high s factors L. L. Thurston (1887-1955)

believed Spearman had oversimplified intelligence and that one type of intelligence was not enough

believed each person has a number of primary mental abilities (PMAs)--sets of independent abilities that each person possesses in varying degrees

identified 7 PMAs that are a better representation of a person’s intelligence than Spearman’s g J. P. Guilford (1897-1987)

agreed with Thurston that intelligence could not be summed up in one g

but also believed 7 PMAs oversimplified human beings

used factor analysis and proposed there were more than 180 different intellectual abilities

challenged the idea that intelligence was limited to a set number of factors Robert Sternberg (1949- )

hypothesized there were three different types of intelligence: analytical, creative, and practical

triarchic theory of intelligence--intelligence is composed of three domains

analytical intelligence--a person’s accumulated knowledge gained through education (or book smarts)

creative intelligence--the ability to generate new ideas and solutions

practical intelligence--the ability to interact with one’s environment (or street smarts) Howard Gardner (1943- )

believed intelligence tests do not show a person’s true cognitive abilities

holds that human beings possess multiple intelligences (MI)

1. linguistic intelligence

2. logical-mathematical intelligence

3. musical intelligence

4. bodily-kinesthetic intelligence

5. spatial intelligence

6. interpersonal intelligence

7. intrapersonal intelligence

8. naturalistic intelligence Daniel Goleman (1946- )

popularized the most recent theory of intelligence known as emotional intelligence--the ability to manage the emotions of oneself and others

believes emotional intelligence is the most important type of intelligence

suggests this type of intelligence is what makes an individual most likely to succeed in life Influences on Intelligence Nature versus Nurture? Twins, Siblings, and Adoption Studies identical twins, whether raised together or separately, show strong correlational coefficient in intelligence siblings raised in similar environments show moderate correlation in intelligence adopted children show moderate correlation with birth parents studies show moderate correlation between individual’s intelligence and that of adoptive parents Seattle Longitude Study (SLS) 40+ year cross-sectional study (beginning in 1956) of thousands of adults’ cognitive abilities (more info here) showed decline of cognitive functioning minimal (unless affected by diseases such as Alzheimer’s) suggesting intelligence is fixed at birth Conclusions? Testing Intelligence Individualized Testing

Alfred Binet (1904)

first modern intelligence test using a simple mathematical formula

mental age divided by chronological age

problem: the older a person gets, the lower his intelligence score would be

Wilhelm Stern (1912)

proposed multiplying Binet’s score by 100 to get the Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

A score of 100 would be average; above 100 would indicate above-average intelligence

Lewis Terman and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (1916)

Stanford psychologist who translated Binet’s work into English

created the SBIS which was the most widely used intelligence test until... Testing Intelligence Individualized Testing

David Wechsler (1939)

developed both adult and child intelligence tests--Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

two separate scales--verbal and performance

verbal scale consists of 7 subtests measuring verbal abilities (e.g., , word definitions, mathematical problem-solving)

performance scale divided into 7 subtests requiring a person to manipulate spacial relations between objects (e.g., assembling pictures, arranging pictures to form a story, completing mazes)

resulting score from the two main scales calculated into a final IQ score known as the deviation IQ (compared one individual’s score to the scores of other people the same age) Testing Intelligence Individualized Testing Testing Intelligence Group Testing

Group tests are administered to assess an readiness to perform at a certain level oran individual’s knowledge of a particular subject. Two categories of group tests: APTITUDE TESTS designed to measure a person’s performance potential commonly given to students planning on attending college e.g., SAT, ACT, GRE not 100% accurate but is a proven predictor of how well students will do in college or graduate school ACHIEVEMENT TESTS designed to measure a person’s knowledge of a particular area used in assessing how much a person knows about a given subject matter designed to test student’s academic knowledge in relation to others taking the same exam e.g., AP exams, National Assessment of Educational Placement (NAEP), CATS, CTBS Testing Intelligence Advantages and Disadvantages of Individual and Group Testing

INDIVIDUALIZED TESTS Pros: the taker can dictate the flow of questions, greater rapport between test administrator and test taker

Cons: more expensive and time consuming, can only test one person at a time GROUP TESTS

Pros: easy to administer to a large number of people, scoring is more objective, relatively inexpensive to administer

Cons: less rapport between test administrator and test taker, responses are more restricted, test fatigue can cause lower score, subject does not dictate flow of questions Measuring Tests (see handout for definitions and examples)

RELIABILITY

VALIDITY

STANDARDIZED LET’S TEST!

Remember, the tests you will be taking are free, online versions based on the different intelligence tests created by Binet, Weschler, Gardner, Goleman, and others. But these tests are not “official” which means they are not necessarily valid nor reliable. They are only meant to give you an idea of the different types of intelligences tested in the field of psychology both in the past and today.

In other words, you shouldn’t allow your test results to give you the big head or make you feel like an idiot! Bias in Intelligence Testing and Student Achievement

Cultural/linguistic bias in wording or general content of questions

Socioeconomic status (SES)

Environmental factors (noise, temperature)

Teacher Expectancy, the Rosenthal and Jacobson study, and the “Pygmalion Effect” (1968)

link Diversity in Cognition CREATIVITY

CREATIVITY the ability to generate new ideas or products

often thought to go hand-in-hand with intelligence

Creativity tests measure divergent thinking--the ability to generate multiple solutions to a given problem (“thinking outside the box” when problem- solving).

Traditional intelligence tests measure convergent thinking--narrowing down to a single best solution or answer to a problem.

As a result, those who don’t excel creatively tend to have higher IQs. Diversity in Cognition UNUSUAL COGNITIVE ABILITIES

GIFTEDNESS people who excel at a rapid pace Lewis Terman’s longitudinal study of 1,500 students over 60 years 11 failed to graduate high school about 250 earned advanced degrees and above average income ongoing study MENTAL RETARDATION individuals with IQs below 70 mild, moderate, severe, profound (see chart) associated with (extra 21st chromosome), fetal alcohol syndrome (from mother’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy), (mutated gene on the X chromosome) Diversity in Cognition SPECTRUM DISORDER

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) impairment in social communication and interaction, restricted or compulsive behavior one of the fastest growing unusual cognitions three main forms: autism, , and Pervasive - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) typically detected between ages 2 and 4, but can be detected as early as four months of age autism--show impairment of social skills and functioning Asperger syndrome--no delay in language and communication skills; display preoccupations with subjects/obsessions; usually above-average intelligence but poor school performance due to obsessions PDD-NOS--display some symptoms of autism but not all numerous theories about the cause of ASD--inherited, lack of mirror neurons in a person with ASD, result of vaccinations autism is NOT mental retardation. Diversity in Cognition SAVANT SYNDROME

SAVANT SYNDROME a person has cognitive impairments in certain areas but has one or more abilities that are displayed on a genius level

more like seen in individuals with autism (but autism does not guarantee a person is a savant)

Gardner has used savant syndrome to validate the existence of multiple intelligences.