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Intelligence

Chapter 10

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What is Intelligence?

Intelligence 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.”

Do we have an inborn general mental capacity (intelligence)? If so, can we quantify

this capacity as a meaningful number?

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Theories of Intelligence

• Culturally Influenced Definition

• 4 main theoretical concepts of intelligence….

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Charles Spearman and his G factor

• Used factor analysis and discovered that what we see as many different skills is actually one General Intelligence.

• If you are good at one subject you are usually good at many others.

Jack Bauer is good at torturing, bomb defusing, shooting, figuring out evil plots and saving the country (and he is good looking). Is there anything he cannot do?

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Howard Gardner and Multiple Intelligences

• Gardner believed that there exists at least 7 different types of intelligences.

1. Linguistic2. Logical-mathematical3. Spatial4. Musical5. Body-kinesthetic6. Intrapersonal7. Interpersonal8. Naturalist9. Existentialist

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Howard Gardner – MI

Rain Man

Brain Man

Rex

People with savant syndrome excel in abilities unrelated to general intelligence.

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Robert Sternberg and Triarchic Theory

• Three types of intelligence

1. Analytical – school smarts

2. Creative/Synthetic – adapt to novel situations

3. Practical – street smarts

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Daniel Goleman and his EQ

• Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions

• Interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences

• Maybe better predictor for future success than IQ.

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Intelligence and CreativityCreativity is the ability to produce ideas that are both novel and valuable. Correlates somewhat with intelligence.Divergent Thinking (Many) vs Convergent Thinking

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.

educ paradigm

Creativity crisis

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Brain Size and IntelligenceIs 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.

• Older = less gray matter & lower verbal intelligence

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Brain Function and Intelligence• Higher performing

brains are less active than lower performing brains (use less glucose).

• High IQ = Perceive stimuli faster, retrieve information from memory quicker, and show faster brain response times

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Evolution & Intelligence

• From Darwin’s theories on adaptation & “Survival of the Fittest”

• Sir Francis Galton-applied statistical means t

• Inheritable Intelligence

• Leads to Intelligence Tests

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How do we Assess Intelligence?

• Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon set out to figure out a concept called a mental age (what a person of a particular age should know).

• Discovered someone’s mental age can predict future performance.

• Hoped they could use test to help children in Paris, not label them.

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Lewis Terman and his IQ Test

• Used Binet’s research to construct the modern day IQ test called the Stanford-Binet Test.

• IQ=Mental age/Chronological age X 100.

• A 8 year old has a mental age of 10, what is her IQ?

• A 12 year old has the mental age of 9, what is his IQ?

• A boy has the mental age of 10 and an IQ of 200, how old is he?

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Problems with the IQ Formula

• It does not really work well on adults, why?

then his IQ would be 50!!!!!!

If a 60 year old man

does as well as an average 30 year old

That makes no sense!!!!!

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David Wechsler Tests

• More common way to give IQ tests….does not use the formula but uses the same scoring system.

• WAIS -- adults• WISC -- children• WPPSI – Preschool &

Primary

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WAIS-Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Measures overall intelligence and 11 other aspects related to intelligence Designed to assess clinical and educational problems.

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Types of Tests

1. Aptitude tests are intended to predict your ability to learn a new skill

2. Achievement tests are intended to reflect what you have already learned

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Types of TestsAptitude

• Measure ability or potential.

Achievement

• Tests that measure what you have learned.

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Constructing an Intelligence Test?

3 Principles of Intelligence Testing

• Standardization: the questions have been piloted on similar populations and the scores fall on a normal distribution.

• Reliability

• Validity

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Normal Curve

Standardized tests establish a normal distribution of scores on a tested population in a bell-shaped pattern called the normal curve.

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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.

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Reliability

Yields consistent results. Reliability techniques:

1. Split-halves 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.

3. Alternative Forms Reliability

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Validity Does test measure what it is supposed to measure or predict.Reliability of a test does not ensure validity.Validity Techniques:

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

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

3. Construct Validity: Set up of test

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Extremes of Intelligence

A valid intelligence test divides two groups of people into two extremes:

1. Cognitively Disabled -- IQ 70 or below2. Gifted/ High Ability -- IQ 130 or above

Akrit Jaswal

Tormented by genius

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Cognitively Challenged

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Does Intelligence Change Over Time?

•By age 3, a child’s IQ can predict adolescent IQ scores.•Depends on the type of intelligence•Crystallized Intelligence•Fluid Intelligence

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Nature vs Nurture & Intelligence

“Is intelligence due to genetics or environment?”

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Genetic InfluencesStudies of twins, family members, and adopted children together support the idea that there is a significant genetic contribution to intelligence.

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Nature: Intelligence & Adoption

Studies

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Heritability•Variation in intelligence test scores attributable to genetics.

•Credit heredity with 50% of the variation in intelligence.

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

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Nurture: Environmental Effects on Intelligence

Differences in intelligence among groups may be environmentally causedIs an environment more fertile in developing abilities than another?

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Environmental Influences

•Early neglect from caregivers vs enriched environment•Increased schooling correlates with higher intelligence scores

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Gender Differences

1. Girls are better spellers

2. Girls are more verbally fluent and have larger 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

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Test Bias or Not?

Do cultural differences matter? YES Racial differences -- White Americans score higher in average intelligence than black Americans. Why?High-scoring people (and groups) are more likely to attain high levels of education and income.

White-Americans Black-Americans

Average IQ = 100 Average IQ = 85

Hispanic Americans

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Battle of the Brains

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