Myers’ Psychology for AP*
Unit 11
Intelligence
and Testing
David G. Myers
PowerPoint Presentation Slides
by Kent Korek
Germantown High School
Worth Publishers, © 2010
*AP is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.
OBJECTIVES: The student will know and understand the
Individual Differences focuses on how psychologists
measure and compare individual ability and
characteristics. This unit emphasizes test construction,
test selection appropriate to the context, and objective
and fair-minded interpretation. After completing their
study of this chapter, students should be able to:
1) trace the origins of intelligence testing, and describe
Stern’s formula for the intelligence quotient
2) describe the nature of intelligence, and discuss
whether intelligence should be considered a general
mental ability or many specific abilities
3) identify the factors associated with creativity, and
describe the relationship between creativity and
intelligence
4) describe efforts to correlate intelligence with brain
anatomy, brain functioning, and cognitive processing
speed
5) distinguish between aptitude and achievement tests,
and describe modern tests of mental abilities such as the
WAIS
6) describe test standardization, and explain the
importance of appropriate standardization samples for
effectively interpreting intelligence test scores
7) distinguish between the reliability and validity of
intelligence tests, and explain how reliability and validity
are assessed
8) discuss the stability of intelligence scores and describe
the two extremes of the normal distribution of intelligence
9) discuss evidence for both genetic and environmental
influences on intelligence
10) describe group difference in intelligence test scores,
and show how they can be explained in terms of
environmental factors
11) discuss whether intelligence tests are culturally biased.
What is Intelligence?
What is Intelligence?
Extremely controversial; 52 intelligence
researchers agreed on the following
definition:
……is a very general mental capability
that, among other things, involves the
ability to reason, plan, solve
problems, think abstractly,
comprehend complex ideas, learn
quickly, and learn from experience.
What is Intelligence?
Intelligence
*capacity for goal-directed and adaptive behavior
*involves certain abilities
profit from experience
solve problems
reason effectively
 *ability to learn from experience, solve
problems, and use knowledge to adapt to
new situations
What is Intelligence?
Reification
*viewing an abstract, immaterial concept as if it
were a concrete thing.
*reasoning error
To reify is to invent a concept, give it a name,
and then convince ourselves that such a thing
objectively exists in the world.
One SHOULD say “she has a score on the
intelligence test of 120” NOT….”she has an IQ of
120.”
Intelligence
Is intelligence culturally defined?
Are intelligence tests culture free?
INTELLIGENCE
THEORIES
PEOPLE TO KNOW IN THIS CHAPTER:
1) Binet: IQ test
2) Terman: Stanford-Binet IQ test (adapted)
3) Spearman: “g” and “s” (developed Factor Analysis)
4) Thurston: “Primary Mental Abilities”
5) Guilford: Operations, Contents, Products
6) Gardner: 9 Multiple Intelligences
7) Sternberg: Triarchal Theory (Practical Intelligence)
8) Jansen: social intelligence
9) Cattell: fluid v. crystalized intelligence
10) Goleman: emotional intelligence
11) Wechsler: Adult Intelligence Scale
Origins of Intelligence Testing
Intelligence Test
 a method of assessing an individual’s mental
aptitudes and comparing them to those of others,
using numerical scores
ALFRED BINET (1857-1911)
French Psychologist
･Received his law degree in 1878
･Subsequently studied natural sciences
at the Sorbonne
･Self-taught in psychology
Binet
Origins of Intelligence
Stanford-Binet
Intelligence Scale
*the widely used
American revision of
Binet’s original
intelligence test
Lewis Madison
Terman (1877-1956)
Cognitive Psychologist
･Central Normal College
(B.S., B.P., B. A., 1894,
1898)
･Indiana University at
Bloomington (B.A., M.A.,
*revised by Terman at 1903)
Stanford University
･Clark University (PH.D. in
Psychology, 1905)
Purpose: to identify students needing special
attention in school outside of a regular classroom
(developed in France by Binet)
Origins of Intelligence Testing
 Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
 defined originally the ratio of
mental age (ma) to chronological
age (ca) multiplied by 100
 IQ = ma/ca x 100
 on contemporary tests, the average
performance for a given age is
assigned a score of 100
Origins of Intelligence
Mental Age
--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 8year-old is said to have a mental age of 8
--used in years and months
What is Intelligence?
*IQ is a score on a test
--it is not something you have
*Is intelligence singular or
multiple abilities?
*Does it relate to speed of brain
processing?
Are There Multiple Intelligences?
General Intelligence (g)
factor that SPEARMAN and others
believed underlies specific mental abilities
measured by every task on an intelligence
test
Factor Analysis (FACTOR THEORIES)
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
According to Spearman’s two-factor theory of
intelligence:
*performance of any intellectual act requires some
combination of "g” (general intelligence), which is
available to the same individual to the same degree for all
intellectual acts, and of "s" (specific factors) which are
specific to that act and which varies in strength from one
act to another.
*if one knows how a person performs on one high “g” task
then one can predict a similar level of performance for a
another highly "g" saturated task.
*prediction of performance on tasks with high "s" factors are
less accurate. (However, "g" pervades all tasks.)
*most important information to have about a person's
intellectual ability is an estimate of their "g".
In 1938, Louis L. Thurstone, an early researcher, rejected the ”g
theory". He analyzed the scores of many research participants on 56
separate tests, Thurston identified SEVEN primary mental abilities:
• verbal comprehension,
• numerical ability,
(1887-1955) Psychometrician
•spatial relations,
･Cornell University, Master of
Engineering (1912)
•perceptual speed,
•word fluency,
•memory, and
•Reasoning
･University of Chicago , Ph.D. in
Psychology, (1914-1917)
･Division of Applied Psychology at
the Carnegie Institute of
Technology, assistantship (19151917)
CONCLUSION: all intellectual activities involve one or more of these
primary mental abilities.
He and his wife, Thelma G. Thurstone, developed their Primary
Mental Abilities Tests to measure these seven abilities.
J. P. Guilford
(1897-1988)
Integrated psychophysics, psychometrics,
measurement and factor analysis
･University of Nebraska
･Cornell University under E. B. Titchener
･Postdoc at University of Nebraska
In Guilford's Structure of Intellect (SI) theory,
*intelligence is viewed as comprising operations, contents, and products.
** OPERATIONS (5) (cognition, memory, divergent production, convergent
production, evaluation)
** PRODUCTS (6) (units, classes, relations, systems, transformations, and
implications
** CONTENTS (5) (visual, auditory, symbolic, semantic, behavioral).
Since each of these dimensions is independent, there are theoretically 150
different components of intelligence.
Howard Earl Gardner (1943- )
･Harvard University (A.B. in social relations, 1965)
･London School of Economics (reading in philosophy and
sociology, 1965-1966)
･Harvard University (Ph.D. in social psychology/
developmental psychology, 1971)
･Harvard Medical School and Boston University Aphasia
Research Center (Postdoctoral fellow, 1971-1972)
His work has been marked by a desire
not to just describe the world but to help
to create the conditions to change it. He
initially formulated a list of seven
intelligences and later added two more:
Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities?
Theories of Multiple Intelligences
Gardner’s Eight Intelligences
Linguistic
Logical-mathematical
Musical
Spatial
Bodily-kinesthetic
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Naturalist
Linguistic intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written
language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to
accomplish certain goals. . . . . includes the ability to effectively use language
to express oneself rhetorically or poetically. . . . Writers, poets, lawyers and
speakers are seen as having high linguistic intelligence.
Logical-mathematical intelligence consists of the capacity to
analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and
investigate issues scientifically. . . . . . entails the ability to detect patterns,
reason deductively and think logically. . . . . most often associated with
scientific and mathematical thinking.
Musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition,
and appreciation of musical patterns. . . . . . encompasses the capacity to
recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. . . . . runs in an
almost structural parallel to linguistic intelligence. (musicians)
Spatial intelligence involves the potential to recognize and use the
patterns of wide space and more confined areas. (architect, landscaper,
pool player, artist)
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence entails the potential of using one's
whole body or parts of the body to solve problems. . . . the ability to use mental
abilities to coordinate bodily movements. (football/basketball player, athlete)
Interpersonal intelligence is concerned with the capacity to understand
the intentions, motivations and desires of other people. . . . allows people to work
effectively with others. Educators, salespeople, religious and political leaders
and counselors all need a well-developed interpersonal intelligence.
Intrapersonal intelligence entails the capacity to understand oneself, to
appreciate one's feelings, fears and motivations. . . . . ability to use such
information to regulate our lives.
Naturalist intelligence enables human beings to recognize, categorize
and draw upon certain features of the environment. It 'combines a description of
the core ability with a characterization of the role that many cultures value'
***Existential intelligence, a concern with 'ultimate issues', is, thus, the
next possibility that Howard Gardner considers - and he argues that it 'scores
reasonably well on the criteria. The final, and obvious, candidate for inclusion in
Howard Gardner's list is moral
intelligence.
Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities?
Theories of Multiple Intelligences
Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities?
Theories of Multiple Intelligences
Sternberg’s Three Intelligences
Analytical (academic problemsolving intelligence
Creating intelligence
Practical intelligence
Are There Multiple Intelligences?
COGNITIVE THEORIES
Intelligence depends on situation in which it
occurs--how information is processed
Robert STERNBERG:
“Triarchial Theory”
*didn’t think Gardner’s view went far enough
1) Practical (Contextual) -- learning within the
environment in which you live (practical intelligence)
2) Analytical (Componential) -- problem solving; thinking
abstractly (information processing intelligence)
3) Creative (Experiential) -- the ability to create new ideas
(insight intelligence)
BA: Yale Univ.
PhD: Stanford
Univ.
Comparing Theories of Intelligence
Arthur JENSEN: Social Class difference
*1998, found convincing evidence for potent environmental
effects on black IQs in a rural Georgia county where black
SES was exceedingly low even relative to other blacks in the
US.
*Older black siblings systematically scored worse on an IQ
test than their younger sibs, indicating some environmental
Prof. Univ
insult that accumulated over time.
California,
*juvenile delinquents and adult criminals have lower
Berkeley
IQ's, on average, than those of their own full siblings
with whom they were reared
(psychometrics
*correlation between IQ and socially undesirable
behavior is not just mediated by differences in social
class and cultural background
& differential
psychology)
Social Intelligence
the know-how involved in comprehending social situations
and managing oneself successfully
Social Stratification in U.S.
Upper-upper
(Inherited wealth, Old money, blood
relations)
Lower-upper (CEOs, investors, entrepreneurs,
achievement)
Upper-middle
(managers, professionals, owners of
medium size businesses) 14% of population
1% of population
Some people in the lower-upper
class may have more money than
the upper-upper class, but they
will not be accepted into the
exclusive social clubs.
Middle-middle (semiprofessionals, craftspeople,
foremen, non-retail salespeople, clerical, farms, small-town
doctors & lawyers, teachers, police, clergy) 30% of population
Lower-middle or Working-class (low-skill
manual, clerical, retail sales, roofers, truck drivers, unstable
employment, below average income)
30% of population
Upper-lower or Working-poor (lowest-paid
manual, retail, service workers, below poverty line) 13% of population
Lower-lower or Underclass (unemployed, parttime menial jobs, public assistance, single mothers,
generational welfare)
12% of population
Raymond CATTELL (1905-1998)
*general intelligence ..conglomeration of
+/- 100 abilities working together in various
ways in different people to bring out
different intelligences.
*fluid intelligence (information that fades
with age) ability to think and act quickly,
solve novel problems, and encode shortterm memories
*crystalized intelligence (procedural
information that never goes away) stems
from learning and acculturation, reflected in
tests of knowledge, general information,
use of language (vocabulary) and a wide
variety of acquired skills
*student of Spearman
*University College,
London, B.S,
chemistry (1921-1924)
*Kingﾕs College,
Ph.D., psychology
(1924-1929)
*University College,
London, MA,education
(1932); honorary
doctor of science
(1939)
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence
Perceive emotions
Understand emotions
Manage emotions
Use emotions for adaptive or
creative thinking
What about Emotional Intelligence?
EI is a type of social intelligence that
involves the ability to:
EI has its roots
in the concept of
*monitor one's own and others' emotions,
"social
intelligence," first
*discriminate among them, and to
identified by E.L.
*use the information to guide one's
Thorndike in
thinking and actions. (Mayer & Salovey, 1993: 433)
1920.
Dr. Goleman’s 1995 book, Emotional
Intelligence, argues that human
competencies like self-awareness, selfdiscipline, persistence and empathy are of
greater consequence than IQ in much of life,
that we ignore the decline in these
competencies at our peril, and that children
can and should be taught these abilities.
Emotional Intelligence has 5 domains:
Self-awareness:Observing yourself and recognizing a
feeling as it happens.
Managing emotions:Handling feelings so that they are
appropriate; realizing what is behind a feeling; finding
ways to handle fears and anxieties, anger, and sadness.
Motivating oneself:Channeling emotions in the service of
a goal; emotional self control; delaying gratification and
stifling impulses.
Empathy:Sensitivity to others' feelings and concerns and
taking their perspective; appreciating the differences in
how people feel about things.
Handling relationships:Managing emotions in others;
social competence and social skills.
Emotional Intelligence
ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate
emotions
critical part of social intelligence
GOLEMAN: Need both
EQ and IQ to be
successful.
In extreme situations,
brain damage may
diminish emotional
intelligence while
leaving academic
intelligence intact.
(see story of Elliot in
text p. 426)
Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobsen (1968) asked psychology
students to run rats through a maze. Some of the students were told
their rats were “bright”; others were told their rats were “dull.”
Incredibly, the rats that were believed to be “bright” performed better
than the “dull” rats. Expectations influenced
performance.
PhD--University of California, LA
(1956)
Research Interests
*Applied Social Psych
•Communication
•Interpersonal Processes
•Nonverbal Behavior
•Person Perception
•Research
Methods/Assessment
Next, Rosenthal and Jacobsen wondered if teachers’ expectations
could influence student performance. They designed an
experiment where they told grade school teachers that 20% of
their students had been given a special test. Some of the
students were identified as “spurters,” who would blossom
academically during the coming year.
Actually, the test revealed nothing and the students had been
randomly assigned by the design team.
Results: Those children whom the teachers expected to do well,
did so. The teachers saw the spurters as more curious and having
more potential. They saw the children as happier, more interesting,
better adjusted.
When the spurters were given an IQ test a year later, the
experimental group made substantial gains in IQ points.
The idea that students perform better
when they are expected to is called the
Pygmaleon Effect, the Rosenthal
Effect, or the Teacher-Expectancy
Effect.
It is a type of Self-Fulfilling Prophecy,
as students with negative expectations
internalize the label and those with
positive labels succeed.
Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable?
Brain Size and Complexity
Brain size studies
Brain complexity studies
Neural plasticity
Gray matter
versus
white matter
Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable?
Brain Function
Perceptual speed
Neurological speed
Brain Function and Intelligence
Is intelligence neurologically measureable?
1) Processing speed: Earl Hunt (1983) found that verbal
intelligence scores are predictable from the speed with
which people retrieve information from memory.
2) Perceptual speed: Those who perceive quickly tend to
score somewhat higher on intelligence tests, particularly
test based on perceptual rather than verbal problem
solving.
3) Neurological speed: Evoked brain responses tend to be
slightly faster when people with high rather than low
intelligence scores perform a simple task.
The Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale
(MEIS) developed by Mayer, Salovey and Caruso
(2000), assess the test-takers ability to:
1) Perceive emotions by recognizing emotions
conveyed by various faces, musical excerpts,
graphic designs, and stories.
2) Understand emotions by recognizing how emotions
change over time and apprehending how emotions
blend.
3) Regulate emotions by rating alternative strategies
that one could use when facing various real-life
dilemmas.
Page 427
Brain Function and Intelligence
People who can
perceive the
stimulus very
quickly tend to
score somewhat
higher on
intelligence
tests
Stimulus
Mask
Question: Long side on left or right?
Assessing Intelligence
The Origins of Intelligence Testing
Francis Galton’s intelligence
testing (1822-1911)…..cousin to Charles Darwin—
wondered if if was possible to measure “natural ability” and
to encourage those of high ability to mate with one
another…..theory based on:
Reaction time
Sensory acuity
Muscular power
Body proportions
(Demonstrated his theory at 1884 London Exposition—
however, the measures did not correlate with one
another)
The Origins of Intelligence Testing
Alfred Binet: Predicting School Achievement
Alfred Binet
Indentifying French school
children in need of assistance
Mental age
Chronological age
The Origins of Intelligence Testing
Lewis Terman: The Innate IQ
Stanford-Binet Test
Lewis Terman
Intelligence quotient (IQ)
IQ = (mental age/chronological age) X
100
IQ of 100 is considered average
World War I testing
Assessing Intelligence
Aptitude Test
a test designed to predict a person’s
future performance
aptitude is the capacity to learn
Achievement Test
a test designed to assess what a
person has learned
Modern Tests of Mental Abilities
Achievement tests
Aptitude tests
Assessing Intelligence
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
most widely used intelligence test
subtests
verbal
performance (nonverbal)
WISC--Wechsler Intelligence Scale for
Children
WPPEI--Wechsler Preschool & Primary Scale
of Intelligence
Modern Tests of Mental Abilities
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
(WAIS)
Wechsler Intelligence
Scale for Children
(WISC)
Assessing IntelligenceSample Items from the WAIS
VERBAL
PERFORMANCE
General Information
Similarities
Arithmetic Reasoning
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Digit Span
Picture Completion
Picture Arrangement
Block Design
Object Assembly
Digit-Symbol Substitution
From Thorndike and Hagen, 1977
Wechler Adult Intelligence Scale
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
Normal Curve
Normal Curve
Normal Curve
Normal Curve
Flynn Effect
American philosophy professor James Flynn discovered a
remarkable trend:
Average IQ scores in every industrialized country on the
planet had been increasing steadily for decades.
Despite concerns about the dumbing-down of society the failing schools, the garbage on TV, the decline of
reading - the overall population was getting smarter. Our
brains are getting better at problem-solving.
Principles of Test Construction
Standardization
Flynn effect
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
Assessing Intelligence
Content Validity
the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest or
knowledge about subject
driving test that samples driving tasks
unit exam in biology
Face Validity
or
Predictive Validity
or
Criterion-Related Validity
A test measures what it is supposed to measure.
assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the
criterion behavior
driving test that samples driving tasks
unit exam in biology
Criterion Validity
behavior (such as college grades) that a test (such as the SAT) is
designed to predict.
measures against a specific learning goal.
the measure used in defining whether the test has predictive validity
applicants for flight school have to pass a certain standard
Assessing Intelligence
Split-Half Reliabilty
exam split into 2 halves and scores compared.
if your teacher checks to see if students are odd and even
numbered correct
Test-Retest Reliability
individuals taking a test more than once tend to get
similar scores.
Taking ACT or SAT more than once and getting similar
scores
Assessing Intelligence
Football 10
linemen’s 9
success
Greater correlation
over broad range
of body weights
8
7
6
5
Little correlation within
restricted
range
4
3
2
1
0
180
250
Body weight in pounds
290
 As the range of data
under consideration
narrows, its
predictive power
diminishes.
 Therefore, the
predictive power of
aptitude tests scores
diminish as students
move up the
educational ladder.
CAUTION:
If you go online to take an IQ test, you
will be taking only the written portion.
IQ tests always contain a verbal portion
and will not be available to you.
In other words, although the test will
give you a “general idea” of your IQ,
don’t take it too seriously.
The Dynamics of Intelligence
Stability or Change?
Intelligence testing through life
The Dynamics of Intelligence
Intellectually Disabled (old “mental
retardation”)
*
*
*
*
limited mental ability
intelligence scores below 70
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 (21st chromosome)
Extremes of Intelligence
Classifications of Intellectual Disability
Level
Approximate
Intelligence
Scores
Adaptation to Demands of Life
Mild
50-70
May learn academic skills up to sixth-grade
level. Adults may with assistance, achieve selfsupporting social and vocational skills
Moderate
35-50
May progress to second-grade level
academically. Adults may contribute to their
own support by laboring in sheltered workshops
Severe
20-35
May learn to talk and to perform simple tasks
under close supervision but are generally
unable to profit from vocational training
Genetic and Environmental
Influences on Intelligence
Twin and Adoption Studies
Identical twin studies
Polygenetic
Adoptive children
studies
Genetic Influences
Similarity of 1.0
intelligence 0.9
scores 0.8
(correlation) 0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
Identical Identical
twins
twins
reared reared
together apart
Fraternal Siblings Unrelated
reared individuals
twins
reared togetherreared
together
together
The most
genetically
similar
people have
the most
similar
scores
Heritability
Genetic Influences
 Heritability
 the proportion of
variation among
individuals that we
can attribute to
genes
 variability depends
on range of
populations and
environments
studied
Genetic Influences
0.35
Child-parent
correlation in
verbal ability
scores
0.30
0.25
Children and their
birth parents
0.20
0.15
Adopted children
and their birth
parents
0.10
Adopted children
and their adoptive
parents
0.05
0.00
3 years
16 years
Genetic Influences
The Schooling Effect
118
IQ gains relative 115
to grade 4
baseline 112
Grade 6
109
Grade 5
106
103
100
97
110
Grade 4
115
120
125
130
135
Age in months
140
145
150
Genetic Influences
Group differences and environmental impact
Variation within group
Variation within group
Seeds
Poor soil
Fertile soil
Difference within group
Genetic Influences
The Mental Rotation Test of Spatial Abilities
Which two circles contains configuration of blocks
identical to the one in the circle at left?
Standard
Responses
Autism
*moderately rare condition
*typically appears during the first three years of life
*neurological disorder (CNS injuries)
*affects the functioning of the developing brain, resulting
in sometimes profound communicative, social
interaction and cognitive deficits.
*hard to relate to outside world
*four times more prevalent in boys than girls
*estimated to occur in as many as 1 in 88 individuals
and is on the rise (as of 2008)
 Savant Syndrome
condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability
has an amazing specific skill
computation
drawing
autistic savant
*Although there is a strong
association with autism, it is
certainly not the case that all
savants are autistic.
*estimated that about 50% of the
cases of savant syndrome are
autistic
*other 50% have developmental
disabilities and CNS injuries.
Studies of intelligence and creativity suggest that a certain
level of aptitude is necessary but not sufficient for
creativity. Studies of creative people suggest 5 other
components of creativity:
1) Expertise is a well-developed base of knowledge.
2) Imaginative thinking skills provide the ability to see things in new
ways, to recognize patterns, to make connections.
3) A venturesome personality tolerates ambiguity and risk,
perseveres in overcoming obstacles and seeks new experiences.
4) Intrinsic motivation--people are
most creative when they feel
motivated primarily by the
interest, enjoyment, satisfaction,
and challenge of the work itself.
5) A creative environment sparks,
supports, and refines creative
ideas.
Environmental Influences
Early environmental influences
Tutored human enrichment
Targeted training
Schooling and
intelligence
Project Head
Start
Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores
Gender Similarities and Differences
Spelling
Verbal ability
Nonverbal ability
Sensation
Emotion-detecting ability
Math and spatial aptitudes
Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores
Ethnic Similarities and Differences
Ethnic similarities
Ethnic differences
The Question of Bias
Two meanings of bias
Popular sense
Scientific sense
Test-taker’s expectations
Stereotype threat
Group Differences
 Stereotype Threat
 A self-confirming concern that one
will be evaluated based on a
negative stereotype
Why do intelligent people fail?
1) Lack of motivation
2) Lack of impulse control
3) Lack of perseverance and preservation.
4) Using the wrong abilities.
5) Inability to translate thought into action
6) Lack of product orientation
7) Inability to complete tasks
8) Failure to initiate
9) Fear of failure
10) Procrastination
Why do intelligent people fail?
11) Misattribution of blame
12) Excessive self-pity
13) Excessive dependency
14) Wallowing in personal difficulties
15) Distractability
16) Spreading oneself too thin
17) Inability to delay gratification
18) Inability to see the forest for the trees
19) Lack of balance between critical thinking and creative
thinking
20) Too little or too much self-confidence
Questions still needing to be answered:
1) Genetic factors contribute substantially to individual
differences but the pathway by which genes produce
their effects is still unknown. Moreover, the impact of
genetic differences increases with age, but we don’t
know why.
2) Environmental factors also make a significant
contribution to the development of intelligence.
Schooling is important but we don’t know what aspects
of schooling are critical
3) The effect of nutrition is unclear. Obviously, severe
nutrition has negative effects but the notion that
particular “micronutrients” may increase intelligence
has not been convincingly demonstrated.
Questions still needing to be answered:
4) Measures of information-processing speed correlate with intelligence
scores but there is no easy theoretical interpretation of these
findings.
5) Mean scores on intelligence tests are rising steadily, going up a full
standard deviation in the last half century. No one is certain why
this is happening or what it means.
6) The difference between intelligence scores of blacks and whites
does not result from any obvious biases in test construction. Nor
does it reflect differences in socioeconomic status. There is no
support for genetic interpretation.
7) Standardized tests do not sample all forms of intelligence.
(creativity, wisdom, practical sense, social sensibility)
What is Intelligence?
Reification
*viewing an abstract, immaterial concept as if it
were a concrete thing.
*reasoning error
To reify is to invent a concept, give it a name,
and then convince ourselves that such a thing
objectively exists in the world.
One SHOULD say “she has a score on the
intelligence test of 120” NOT….”she has an IQ of
120.”
QUESTIONS FOR
REVIEW
APPLICATION
1) When we check to see whether a test will yield the
same results over time, we are assessing its
a) reliability
b) validity
c) normality
d) objectivity
e) subjectivity
APPLICATION
2) The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a(n) ___ test.
a) Short-answer
b) essay
c) Multiple-choice
d) objective
e) subjective
UNDERSTANDING THE CORE CONCEPT
3) All of the following are components of ethical testing
except:
a) item analysis
b) validity
c) reliability
d) objectivity
e) instinct
RECALL
4) One of Binet’s great ideas was that of mental age,
which was defined as:
a) The average age at which people achieve a
particular score on an intelligence test
b) An individual’s biological age plus the score he or
she achieves on a mental test
c) An individual’s level of emotional maturity, as
judged by the examiner
d) The vaiability in scores seen when an individual is
tested repeatedly.
e) A means of measuring performance on a test
against a specific learning goal.
APPLICATION
5) You have tested a 12-year-old child and found that she
has a mental age of 15. Using the original IQ formula,
what is her IQ?:
a) 50
b) 75
c) 100
d) 115
e) 125
RECALL
6) A problem with the original IQ formula is that is gave a
distorted picture of the intellectual abilities of
a) Adults
b) Children
c) Retarded persons
d) Gifted students
e) The elderly
UNDERSTANDING THE CORE CONCEPT
7) If intelligence is a normally distributed characteristic,
then you would expect to find it
a) to be different abilities in different people
b) To be spread throughout the population, but with
most people clustered near the middle of the range
c) To a significant degree only in people whose IQ
scores are above 100
d) To be determined entirely by hereditary factors
e) To be determined entirely by environmental factors.
APPLICATION
8) From the perspective of Cattell’s theory, the ability to
use algorithms and heuristics would be an aspect of
a) Convergent thinking
b) Crystallized intelligence
c) Logical thinking
d) Divergent thinking
e) Fluid intelligence.
APPLICATION
9) A friend tells you that he has found a way to improve
his grades by stopping by his psychology teacher’s
room once a week to ask questions about the reading.
If this is successful, you could say your friend has
shown
a) Practical intelligence
b) Logical reasoning
c) Experiential intelligence
d) Convergent thinking
e) Divergent thinking.
RECALL
10) Which of Gardner’s seven intelligences is most like
that measured on standard IQ tests?
a) Linguistic ability
b) Bodily-kinethetic ability
c) Interpersonal ability
d) Intrapersonal ability
e) Spatial ability.
RECALL
11) A self-fulfilling prophecy comes true because of
a) Innate factors
b) Most people’s lack of substantial logicalmathematical ability.
c) The lack of precision of IQ tests
d) People’s expectations
e) Cultural norms.
UNDERSTANDING THE CORE CONCEPT
12) Which of the following most aptly characterizes the
current debate about intelligence?
a) Mental age vs. chronological age
b) Single vs. multiple
c) Practical vs. logical
d) Cognitive vs. behavioral
e) Fluid vs. crystalized
RECALL
13) Most early American psychologists working on
intelligence believed that the dominant influence on
intelligence was
a) heredity
b) experience
c) gender
d) the size of one’s brain
e) environment
ANALYSIS
14) It is most accurate to say that
a) Intelligence is influenced more by heredity than by
environment
b) Intelligence is influenced more by environment
than by heredity
c) Intelligence is the result of an interaction of
heredity and environment
d) The influence of environment on intelligence is
most powerful in the children of minority groups
e) Intelligence is influenced more by family makeup
than by any interactions of heredity and
environment.
RECALL
15) The concept of heritability refers to genetic variation
a) Within an individual’s sperm cells or ova.
b) Between one group and another
c) Within an individual’s immediate family
d) Within a group of individuals who have had the
same environment
e) Between family members.
UNDERSTANDING THE CORE CONCEPT
16) Although everyone agrees that heredity affects___
intelligence, there is no evidence that it accounts for
differences among _____.
a) Individual / groups.
b) Group / individuals
c) High / the mentally retarded
d) Academic / practical
e) Fluid / individuals.
RECALL
17) Tests that yield relatively consistent results are said to
be
a) valid.
b) reliable
c) normed
d) standardized
e) consistent.
RECALL
18) Objective tests use ____ which subjective tests use
____.
a) Ambiguous figures / selected responses
b) Images / objects
c) Hand scoring techniques / machine scoring
techniques
d) Objects / images
e) Selected responses / ambiguous figures.
APPLICATION
19) According to Lewis Terman’s formula, a 9-year-old
child with an IQ of 100 would have a mental age of
a) 9
b) 10
c) 18
d) 90
e) 100.
APPLICATION
20) The characteristic that most distinguishes the expert
from the novice is
a) intelligence
b) talent
c) Organized knowledge
d) Speed of problem solving
e) Education
21) According to Daniel Goleman, the ability of a
four-year-old child to delay _____ predicts
their level of success in life:
a) intelligence
b) cognition
c) gratification
d) toilet training
e) embarrassment
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DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY
#16 Testing and Intelligence