Bell Ringer True or False: 1. Girls are better spellers than boys. True 2. Boys have better memories. False 3. Adopted children have similar IQ scores as their adoptive parents. False 4. People are generally smarter today than 80 years ago. True

This Week in Psychology… Wednesday – Module 33 Thursday – Module 33 Friday – IQ Tests due Next Week… Quiz on Unit VI: Testing and Individual Differences (Modules 31-33)

Module 33: Genetic & Environmental Influences on Intelligence Unit 6: Testing & Individual Differences

Genetic Influences Do people with the same genes share comparable mental abilities? Answer: YES! IQ’s of identical twins are similar to those of the same person taking the same test twice. Fraternal twins (share ½ of their genes) are much less similar. Identical twins raised separately also have similar scores.

Genetic Influences Fraternal twins tend to score more alike than other non-twin siblings. Intelligence scores of adopted children are more like those of their biological parents. So…genetics seem to play a large role in IQ.

Celebrity IQs Arnold Schwarzenegger – 135

Celebrity IQs Natalie Portman – 140

Celebrity IQs Shakira – 140

Celebrity IQs Madonna – 140

Celebrity IQs Quentin Tarantino – 160 Director of Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Django Unchained, the Hateful 8, etc.

Celebrity IQs James Woods – 184

Celebrity IQs Ke$ha – 140

Celebrity IQs Conan O’Brien – 160

Celebrity IQs Rowan Atkinson – 178

Celebrity IQs Ashton Kutcher – 160

Celebrity IQs Matt Damon – 160

Celebrity IQs Ken Jeong – 130+ Actual doctor before acting.

Celebrity IQs Alicia Keys – 154

Celebrity IQs Bill Clinton – 137

Celebrity IQs Kim Ung-Yong – 210 Korean civil engineer. Highest recorded IQ.

Genetic Influences

Environmental Influences Environmental influences effect children of less-educated parents more. Children in poor families have more similar intelligence scores. Meaning that poor environmental conditions can override genetic differences. Extreme poverty trumps genetics!

Environmental Influences Can intelligence be improved with practice or education? Head Start Program: Government funded preschool program. Mostly children below poverty level. Over 900,000 children. Quality programs increase school readiness, but results fade over time Small intelligence boost, but experiences after Head Start is important.

Head Start Video

Head Start Program that provide early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families. Critics point to research that says that there were very few, if any, long term benefits. You probably were involved in some way!

Environmental Influences Of course…schooling and intelligence is correlated. IQ scores rise during school year, but drop during summer. Flynn Effect: worldwide rise in IQ scores since the 1920s due to better nutrition and increasing years of schooling. More school = smarter kids!

Racial & Ethnic Differences Racial groups differ in average scores on IQ tests. Bell curve: Whites: Average – 100 Blacks: Average – 85 Hispanics: Average in between whites and blacks. Similar results appear on aptitude tests like SAT, although gap is getting smaller.

Racial & Ethnic Differences Environmental factors in racial gap: Skin color does not differentiate people. Race is no longer easy to define with more mixed race people. Asians outperform North Americans on math and aptitude tests. (They also spend 30% more time in school.)

Racial & Ethnic Differences IQ scores of today’s better-fed, better-educated population exceeds those of the 1930s. (Flynn Effect) White and black infants score equally well on infant intelligence measures. Each ethnic group had their glory years: Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, Aztecs, Arabs, etc.

Gender Differences Boys vs. Girls: Spelling: Girls are better spellers. Verbal: Girls are more verbally fluent and remember words better. Memory: Girls are better at locating objects. Sensation: Girls are more sensitive to touch, taste, and odor. Emotion Detection: Girls!

Gender Differences Boys vs. Girls Continued: Underachievement: More boys are at the low extremes of intelligence. Math and Spatial Intelligence: Girls are better at computation, but boys are better at problem solving. Also more boys at the highest extremes in math (gifted).

Bias Bias: Differences in performances caused by cultural experiences detected on tests. Most psychologists believe that the major aptitude tests (ACT, SAT, IQ tests) are not biased. Their predictions applies to both genders and all ethnic and economic groups.

Bias Stereotype Threat: A self- confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype. When one feels that they won’t succeed based on negative stereotypes, they usually perform poorly. This may account for lower test scores of blacks and women.

Stereotype Threat Video