Myers’ Psychology for AP* David G. Myers *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. PowerPoint Presentation Slides by Kent Korek Germantown High School Worth Publishers, © 2010

Unit 11: Testing and Individual Differences

Unit Overview What is Intelligence? Assessing Intelligence The Dynamics of Intelligence Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence Click on the any of the above hyperlinks to go to that section in the presentation.

What is Intelligence?

Intelligence Savant syndrome - Savant syndrome Derek Paravicini Rain Man Intelligence test

Rain Man

Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities? Spearman’s General intelligence (g) - a general intelligence factor that underlies specific mental abilitiesGeneral intelligence Factor analysis Comparison to athleticism - liken “mental abilities to physical… Thurstone’s counter argument – gave 56 different tests; identified seven clusters

Spearman Thought that by measuring related cognitive factors we could objectively measure intelligence Intelligence has two factors: General Mental Ability (g) – represents what different cognitive tasks have in common Specific factors (s) – which include specific mental abilities…such as mathematical, verbal, etc. Today Spearman’s “g” is defined and measured by a person’s performance on various cognitive abilities That is, modern intelligence tests have transformed his “g” into an objective score…called our IQ score

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

Is Intelligence One General Ability or Several Specific Abilities? Theories of Multiple Intelligences

Sternberg’s Three Intelligences Analytical intelligence or logical thinking skills - measured by traditional IQ tests Use problem-solving skills (Creative intelligence) – require creative thinking and ability to learn from experience Practical thinking skills – that help you adjust to and cope with our sociocultural environment

Comparing Theories of Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence REMEMBER GOLEMAN Emotional intelligence Perceive emotions Understand emotions Manage emotions Use emotions for adaptive or creative thinking

Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable? Brain Size and Complexity What do we know: Correlation of about +.33 between size and IQ Highly educated people have more synapses (17% more) Highly intelligent people differ in neural plasticity Intelligent “early childhood” children have thinner brain cortex

Areas where gray matter is concentrated in people with high intelligence…this may be where “g” is concentrated

Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable? Brain Function Perceptual speed – correlation between IQ scores and speed of taking in information Neurological speed – research supports that brain waves of highly intelligent people do register more quickly and with greater complexity

Assessing Intelligence

The Origins of Intelligence Testing Francis Galton’s intelligence testing Reaction time Sensory acuity Muscular power Body proportions On these measures, more intelligent people did not outscore those “not so bright”

The Origins of Intelligence Testing Alfred Binet: Predicting School Achievement Alfred Binet Indentifying French school children in need of assistance Mental age Chronological age

Binet-Simon Intelligence Test Sample Tasks Recognition of Food Quest of Food Complicated by a Slight Mechanical Difficulty Execution of Simple Commands and Imitation of Simple Gestures Verbal Knowledge of Objects Verbal Knowledge of Pictures Naming of Designated Objects Immediate Comparison of Two Lines of Unequal Lengths Repetition of Three Figures Comparison of Two Weights Suggestibility Verbal Definition of Known Objects Repetition of Sentences of Fifteen Words

The Origins of Intelligence Testing Lewis Terman: The Innate IQ Stanford-Binet Test Stanford-Binet Lewis Terman Intelligence quotient (IQ) IQ = (mental age/chronological age) X 100 IQ of 100 is considered average World War I testing

Modern Tests of Mental Abilities Achievement tests Aptitude tests

Who has the highest IQ Scores: 104, 114, 228?? Match with the persons below: JF Kennedy – 35 th president of U.S.A. Marilyn vos Savant – columnist for Parade magazine JD Salinger – author Catcher in the Rye

Kennedy 114 vos Savant 228 Salinger 104

Modern Tests of Mental Abilities Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)

Wechler Adult Intelligence Scale

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Standardization Normal curve (bell curve) Normal curve

Normal Curve

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Flynn effect

Principles of Test Construction Standardization Flynn effect

Principles of Test Construction Reliability Reliability Scores correlate Test-retest reliability Split-half reliability

Principles of Test Construction Validity Validity Content validity Criterion Predictive validity

The Dynamics of Intelligence

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Stability or Change? Intelligence testing through life – Ian Deary’s longitudinal study

Extremes of Intelligence The Low Extreme Intellectual disability Mental retardation Down syndrome 21 st chromosome Mainstreamed

Extremes of Intelligence Classifications of Intellectual Disability LevelApproxim ate Intelligenc e Scores Adaptation to Demands of Life Mild50-70 May learn academic skills up to sixth-grade level. Adults may with assistance, achieve self-supporting social and vocational skills Moderate35-50 May progress to second-grade level academically. Adults may contribute to their own support by laboring in sheltered workshops Severe20-35 May learn to talk and to perform simple tasks under close supervision but are generally unable to profit from vocational training ProfoundBelow 25 Require constant aid and supervision

Extremes of Intelligence The High Extreme Terman’s study of gifted Self-fulfilling prophecy Appropriate developmental placement Tracking students

Sho Yano IQ of 200 plus Entered college at age 9 Graduated age 12 Plays classical works on piano Youngest to start dual MD. PhD program at U of Chicago Profoundly Gifted – an IQ score above 180 Gifted children usually have some superior talent or skill

Gifted…. In regular classrooms they become bored They may feel lonely or develop social problems because labeled “nerd or geek” Researchers do recommend that they be placed in special academic programs that challenge and develop their potentials TERMAN’s Study found the following: 10-30% obtained advanced degrees 30% never finished college 2% flunked out 9% had serious emotional problems 7% committed suicide

Why do intelligent people fail? 1. lack of motivation 2. lack of impulse control 3. lace of perseverance or perseveration 4. using wrong abilities 5. inability to complete tasks 6. fear of failure 7. procrastination 8. too little or too much self-confidence Etc……….there are a few other reasons as well

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Midori

Twin and Adoption Studies Identical twin studies Polygenetic Adoptive children studies

Heritability

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

Intelligence Test = a method of assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores.

Intelligence = mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

General Intelligence (g) = a general intelligence factor that, according to Spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test.

Factor Analysis = a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score.

Savant Syndrome = a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing.

Emotional Intelligence = the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.

Mental Age = a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance. Thus, a child who does as well as the average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8.

Stanford-Binet = the widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet’s original intelligence test.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) = defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (thus, IQ=ma/ca X 100). On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100.

Achievement Tests = tests designed to assess what a person has learned.

Aptitude Tests = tests designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) = the WAIS is the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests.

Standardization = defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group.

Normal Curve = a 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.

Reliability = the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, or on retesting.

Validity = the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to.

Content Validity = the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest.

Predictive Validity = the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior (also called criterion-related validity).

Intellectual Disability = (formerly referred to as mental retardation) a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life; varies from mild to profound.

Down Syndrome = a condition of intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.

Stereotype Threat = a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype.