Testing & Individual Differences 5-7% Think of the names of the 3 smartest people you know. Consider: what makes them 'smart'? DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING WITH A PARTNER: 1. How much of intelligence is inherited, and how much is due to upbringing? 2. What exactly is intelligence, and what do test scores mean? 3. Why do some people with high IQ scores become underachievers, while others with average IQ scores become leaders?

What is Intelligence? Intelligence ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

Theories on Intelligence Crystallized Accumulated knowledge over time Increases with age Fluid Ability to quickly solve abstract problems Decreases with age

Intelligence Test = method of assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes comparing them to those of others, using numerical scores

Origins of Intelligence Testing Alfred Binet = Mental Age a measure of intelligence test performance Used chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance

Origins of Intelligence Testing Stanford-Binet widely used American version of Binet’s original intelligence test revised by Terman at Stanford University revised a method of scoring by developing the IQ or “intelligence quotient” = IQ Test

What is an IQ score? Intelligence Quotient the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 on contemporary tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100 EXAMPLES: child who does as well as the average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8 = IQ of 100 (8/8 = 1 x 100 = 100) 10 year old who scores the mental age of a 5 year old = IQ of 50 (5/10 = .5 x 100 = 50) 2 year old who scores mental age of a 4 year old = IQ of 200 (4/2 = 2 x 100 = 200)

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) David Weschler constructed 3 tests most widely used intelligence tests WAIS = Weschler ADULT intelligence scale WISC = children WPPSI = preschool and primary Many different subtests to account for multiple skills

Assessing Intelligence Psychometric Approach = emphasizes the products of intelligence (IQ scores) 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

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 scores most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes

The Normal Curve

Getting Smarter? What is this called? The Flynn Effect

Flynn Effect—WHY? Better nutrition? More education? More stimulation in the environment? Less childhood disease? Smaller families? More parental involvement?

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

Reliability v. Validity

Assessing Validity Content the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest Ex: driving test that samples driving tasks Criterion the measure used in defining whether the test has predictive validity Tests designed to predict (ex: SAT) behavior (such as college grades)

Genetic Influences Heritability variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes depends on range of populations and environments studied

Theories/People to Know Multiple Intelligences = Howard Gardner Linguistic Logical-mathematical Spatial Musical Body-kinesthetic Intrapersonal Interpersonal Naturalistic

Theories/People to Know Triarchic Theory – Robert Sternberg 3 kinds of intelligences: Analytic – problem solving, measured by IQ tests Creative – composing music, art Practical – survival skills Broadens the concept of intelligence and emphasizes what it means in everyday life

Theories/People to Know Daniel Goleman = advocate of emotional intelligence or EQ Combines interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences Ability to understand and regulate your emotions Studies suggest a high EQ has greater correlation with financial success than high IQ  Charles Spearman = argued intelligence can be expressed by a single factor Called that number Spearman’s g: g = generalized intelligence If you think a person is either generally smart or not so smart = you believe in Spearman’s g 

Diversity in Cognitive Abilities Creativity – the ability to produce new, high-quality ideas or products Divergent thinking – the ability to think along many paths to generate many solutions to a problem 3 kinds of cognitive and personality characteristics necessary for creativity: Expertise Set of creative skills Motivation Creativity requires divergent thinking and IQ tests assess convergent thinking (the ability to apply logic to narrow down the # of possible solutions)

Diversity in Cognitive Abilities Giftedness = high IQs May have higher motivation to master knowledge/tasks Have “more” of the basic cognitive abilities seen in children Mental Retardation = IQ less than 70 a condition of limited mental ability produces difficulty in adapting to the demands of life varies from mild to profound. EX= Down syndrome – extra chromosome Fragile X syndrome –defect on chromosome 23 Environmental conditions – head injury, exposure to alcohol or toxin Learning Disabilities Dyslexia – letters appear disjointed or jumbled Dysphasia – difficulty understanding spoken words or recalling words Dysgraphia – problems with writing, motor and information processing Dyscalculia – difficulty with arithmetic

Savant Syndrome special, prodigious memory Certain savants have also been shown to display advanced skills in one or more of five major areas: art, musical abilities, calendar calculating, mathematics and spatial skills. One in ten people with autism have savant skills 50% of savants have autism; the other 50% often have psychological disorders or mental illnesses Beautiful Minds link: http://www.hulu.com/watch/415865