NAME __________________________________
INTELLIGENCE TEST
1. The nineteenth-century scientist Sir Francis Galton:
a. believed that people with little natural ability should be discouraged from
reproducing.
b. encouraged the selective breeding of highly intelligent people.
c. attempted to assess intelligence on the basis of such things as muscular power
and body proportions.
d. assumed that human traits and mental abilities are inherited.
e. did or believed all the above.
2. Binet and Simon designed a test of intellectual abilities in order to:
a. provide a quantitative estimate of inherited intellectual potential.
b. distinguish between academic and practical intelligence.
c. identify children likely to have difficulty learning in school.
d. assess general capacity for goal-directed adaptive behavior.
3. For the original version of the Stanford-Binet, IQ was defined as:
a. mental age multiplied by 100.
b. chronological age subtracted from mental age and multiplied by 100.
d. chronological age divided by mental age and multiplied by 100.
e. mental age divided by chronological age and multiplied by 100.
4. Twelve-year-old Jerry has an IQ of 75 on the original version of the Standord-Binet.
His mental age is:
a. 8
b. 9
c. 10
d. 12
e. 16
5. In considering the nature of intelligence, experts would be most likely to agree that
intelligence is a(n):
a. inborn ability to perform well on standard intelligence tests.
b. capacity for goal-directed adaptive behavior.
c. general trait that underlies success on nearly any task.
d. multiple array of completely independent adaptive traits.
6. Those who view intelligence as people’s successful adaptation to their environment
are most likely to be skeptical about the possibility:
a. of predicting academic success with standard intelligence tests.
b. of creating “culture-free” tests of intelligence.
c. that intelligence is influenced by heredity.
d. that intelligence involves a diverse set of adaptive capacities.
7. Those who believe it is possible to construct “culture-free” tests of intelligence are
most likely to suggest that intelligence consists of basic ________ skills.
a. cognitive
b. athletic
c. social
d. musical
8. Factor analysis is a statistical procedure used to:
a. derive IQ scores by comparing mental age with chronological age.
b. evaluate how accurately test items predict a criterion behavior.
c. extract test norms from a standardization sample
d. identify clusters of closely related test items.
e. provide a quantitative estimate of heritability.
9. Spearman’s g factor refers to:
a. the internal consistency of an intelligence test.
b. the genetic contribution to intelligence.
c. a general intelligence that underlies success on a wide variety of tasks.
d. a highly developed skill or talent possessed by an otherwise retarded person.
e. the ability to understand and regulate emotions.
10. Who would have been most enthusiastic about the value of a single intelligence test
score as an index of an individual'’ mental capacities?
a. Thurstone
b. Spearman
c. Gardner
d. Sternberg
11. Which of the following persons best illustrates Sternberg and Wagner’s concept of
practical intelligence?
a. Shelley, a newspaper reporter who has a knack for making connections with
very important people
b. Gareth, a graduate student who generates many creative research ideas
c. Jamal, a college student who quickly recognizes the correct answers to
multiple-choice test questions
d. Cindy, a young mother who prefers playing with her children to cleaning her
house
12. The ability to control one’s impulses and delay immediate pleasures in pursuit of
long-term goals is most clearly a characteristic of:
a. the g factor
b. heritability
c. mental age
d. savant syndrome
e. emotional intelligence
13. There is a _______ correlation between head size and intelligence and a _________
correlation between brain size and intelligence.
a. slightly negative; slightly positive
b. slightly positive; slightly negative
c. moderately positive; slightly positive
d. slightly positive; moderately positive
14. Brain size (adjusted for body size) is ________ correlated with intelligence and the
brain’s rate of glucose consumption, whereas performing cognitive tasks is the
brain’s rate of glucose consumption, whereas performing cognitive tasks is
______________ correlated with intelligence.
a. positively; negatively
b. negatively; positively
c. positively; positively
d. negatively; negatively
15. A test of your capacity to learn to be an automobile mechanic would be considered
a(n) ________________ test.
a. reliability
b. interest
c. achievement
d. intelligence
e. aptitude
16. The written exam for a driver’s license would most likely be considered a(n)
____________ test.
a. achievement
b. reliability
c. interest
d. aptitude
e. intelligence
17. Aptitude tests are to ________________ as achievement tests are to
____________.
a. current interests; past competence
b. past competence; current interests
c. current competence; future performance
d. future performance; current competence
18. If a test is standardized, this means that:
a. it accurately measures what it is intended to measure.
b. a person’s test performance can be compared with that of a pretested group.
c. most test scores will cluster near the average.
d. the test will yield consistent results when administered on different occasions
19. Unlike today’s most widely used intelligence tests, the original Stanford-Binet can be
most clearly criticized with respect to its:
a. standardization sample
b. reliability
c. factor analysis
d. predictive validity
e. heritability
20. The bell-shaped pattern that represents the frequency of occurrence of intelligence
test scores in the general population is called a:
a. standardization sample
b. reliability coefficient
c. factor analysis
d. normal curve
e. savant syndrome
21. During the 1960s and 1970s, performance on the WAIS ___________ and
performance on college entrance aptitude tests _______________.
a. declined; declined
b. declined; improved
c. improved; declined
d. improved; improved
22. Some people have suggested that the Flynn effect is due in part to:
a. the deteriorating quality of parental involvement in children’s education.
b. people’s increasing familiarity with standardized aptitude testing.
c. the decreasing reliance on a single test score as an index of mental aptitudes.
d. the failure to restandardize existing intelligence tests.
23. Sandra completed the Computer Programming Aptitude Test when she applied for a
position with Acme Electronics. Six months later, she took the same test when she
applied for a position with another company. The fact that her scores were almost
identical on the two occasions suggests that the test has a high degree of:
a. reliability
b. content validity
c. predictive validity
d. standardization
24. Validity is to reliability as _____ is to ________.
a. causation; correlation
b. aptitude; achievement
c. stability; change
d. accuracy; consistency
e. academic intelligence; emotional intelligence
25. Your psychology professor has announced that the next test will assess your
understanding of sensation and perception. When you receive the test, however, you
find that very few questions actually relate to these topics. In this instance, you
would be most concerned about the ________ of the test.
a. reliability
b. validity
c. standardization
d. factor analysis
e. normal distribution
26. James, a high school junior, is wondering whether he should spend $45 for an SATpreparation course. Research suggests he can expect the course to:
a. raise both his verbal and math SAT scores by at least 10 points.
b. raise both his verbal and math SAT scores by at least 50 points.
c. raise his verbal SAT score by at least 10 points but have no effect on his math
SAT score.
d. have no effect on either his verbal or math SAT score.
27. Intelligence test scores are most likely to predict accurately the academic success of
___________ students.
a. elementary school
b. high school
c. college
d. graduate school
28. The best indicator of infants’ intellectual aptitude is their:
a. readiness to crawl at an early age.
b. capacity for imitating adult facial expressions.
c. ability to discriminate their mother’s voice from that of a female stranger.
d. tendency to quickly shift their gaze from a familiar to a novel picture.
e. head circumference at birth in relation to their total weight.
29. Mr. & Mrs. Lembo are parents of a mentally retarded child. It is most likely that
their child:
a. is a female rather than a male.
b. suffers obvious physical defects.
c. was born with an extra chromosome.
d. will have difficulty adapting to the normal demands of independent adult life
30. Margaret is mildly mentally retarded. She has achieved the equivalent of a fifthgrade education and will soon begin vocational training so that she can earn a living.
Margaret’s intelligence score is most likely between:
a. 5 and 20
b. 20 and 35
c. 35 and 50
d. 50 and 70
e. 75 and 90
31. The correlation between intelligence test scores and creativity test scores is
________ among those whose intelligence score is _______ than 120.
a. negative; greater than
b. positive; greater than
c. negative; less than
d. positive; less than
32. Intrinsic motivation is an important component of:
a. the intelligence quotient.
b. creativity
c. the Flynn effect
d. savant syndrome
e. the g factor
33. Which of the following suggestions would be least helpful to a young performing
artist who wants to become a highly creative ballet dancer?
a. “Study the performances of the world’s best ballet artists.”
b. “Develop friendly and supportive relationships with fellow ballet dancers.”
c. “Take time for those practice drills that you find most enjoyable.”
d. “Win competitive performances that will lead to performances arts scholarship
offers.”
34. The similarity between the intelligence test scores of identical twins raised apart is:
a. less than that between children and their biological parents.
b. equal to that between identical twins reared together.
c. equal to that between fraternal twins reared together.
d. greater than that between ordinary siblings reared together.
35. Which of the following observations provides the best evidence that intelligence test
scores are influenced by heredity?
a. Japanese children have higher average intelligence scores than American
children.
b. Fraternal twins are more similar in their intelligence scores than are ordinary
siblings.
c. Identical twins reared separately are more similar in their intelligence scores
than fraternal twins reared together.
d. The intelligence scores of children are positively correlated with the
intelligence scores of their parents.
36. The intelligence test scores of adopted children are least likely to be positively
correlated with the scores of their adoptive siblings during:
a. early childhood
b. middle childhood
c. early adolescence
d. middle adolescence
e. early adulthood
37. Research indicates that Head Start programs:
a. contribute to dramatic and enduring gains in the participants’ intelligence test
scores.
b. yield the greatest benefits for participants coming from intellectually
stimulating home environments.
c. reduce the likelihood that participants will repeat grades or require special
education classes.
d. do all the above.
38. On average, the intelligence test scores of the Wallonians are much higher than those
of the Danasians. The difference in the average test scores of the two groups
might be a product of:
a. genetic differences between two groups with similar environments.
b. environmental differences between two groups with similar genetics.
c. both genetic and environmental differences between the two groups.
d. any of the above.
39. Girls are most likely to outperform boys in a(n):
a. spelling bee
b. vocabulary test
c. essay contest
d. speed-reading tournament
40. Exposure to high levels of male sex hormones during prenatal development is most
likely to facilitate the subsequent development of:
a. the g factor
b. savant syndrome
c. spatial abilities
d. Down syndrome
e. emotional intelligence
NAME _________________________________
INTELLIGENCE ESSAY
DATE __________________
MS. MORTON
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. You have been hired by a large public school system to construct a musical aptitude
test. Describe how you would standardize your test and assess its reliability and
validity. Explain why it might be more difficult to develop a valid musical aptitude
test than a reliable one.
2. Juan is the oldest son of Mexican parents who immigrated to the United States less
than 5 years ago. Juan’s high school teachers perceive him to be fairly intelligent,
but his SAT scores are low and he is having trouble getting into college. Juan’s
mother angrily claims that “intelligence tests are biased against Hispanics.” Juan’s
father sadly counters, “It’s not the tests that are biased; American colleges are
just culturally restricted.”