What makes us smart? Or not so smart? Intelligence What makes us smart? Or not so smart?

Theories of Intelligence No one agrees on one definition Intelligence: mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, & use knowledge to adapt to new situations Intelligence test: method for assessing a person’s mental aptitudes & comparing them with others 4 main theories of intelligence….

Theory 1: Charles Spearman and his G factor Spearman argued those who score high in one area usually score higher than average in other areas General Intelligence (g) A common skill set underlies all of our intelligent behavior If you are strong in one area you are usually good at many others If you think someone is smart in general or not, you probably prefer Spearman 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?

Theory 2: Howard Gardner & Multiple Intelligences Gardner believed that there 8 different types of intelligences exist Linguistic Logical-mathematical Spatial Musical Body-kinesthetic Intrapersonal Interpersonal Naturalist

Savant Syndrome A condition when a person has limited mental ability but has an exceptional specific skill (piano, computation, drawing…) 4 out of 5 are male Many are autistic Click on each photo to see the remarkable stories of 2 savants

Theory 3: Robert Sternberg and his Triarchic Theory Three types of intelligence Analytical intelligence (academic problem-solving): intelligence tests, one right answer, these tests predict school grades & career success well Creative intelligence: reacting to novel situations & generating new ideas (ask me about 10 traits!) Practical intelligence: needed for everyday tasks (ex: motivating people, delegating tasks, reading people, how to figure things out…)

Theory 4: Emotional Intelligence Emotional Intelligence: the ability to perceive, understand, manage, & use emotions 1. Perceive emotions: recognize them in faces, stories, music… 2. Understand emotions: to predict them, how they change & blend 3. Manage emotions: know how to express them in different situations 4. Use emotions: helps w/ creative thinking Interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences Maybe EQ is a better predictor for future success than IQ?

Brain Size & Intelligence Is there a link? Using an MRI found modest correlation b/w brain size and IQ score Parietal & frontal lobes Ex: Einstein’s brain 15% larger in parietal lobes (process math & spatial info) Highly educated people have more synapses than less educated

History of Intelligence Testing France public school Some kids not benefiting from regular school & need special attention/classes Gov’t wanted to minimize bias so… Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon asked to figure out how to objectively identify children who needed special attention in school Mental age: a measure of intelligence that corresponds to a given performance level (avg 8 yr old=mental age 8) Binet believe intelligence test did not measure capabilities, only identify kids needing special attention Hoped they could use test to help children, not label/limit them

Lewis Terman: IQ Test Terman adapted Binet’s questions to put a number to measure intelligence Today called Stanford-Binet test IQ= Mental age X 100 Chronological age Average score = 100 2/3 fall between 85-115 History of abusing intelligence tests Ellis Island Let’s figure this out: 1. A 8 year old has a mental age of 10, what is her IQ? 2. A 12 year old has the mental age of 9, what is his IQ? 3. A boy has the mental age of 10 and an IQ of 200, how old is he?

Problems with the IQ Formula It does not really work well on adults, why? If a 60 year old man does as well as an average 35 year old then his IQ would be 50!!!!!! That makes no sense!!!!!

Types of Tests Aptitude Achievement Predict your ability or potential to learn new skill (future) Tests that reflect what you have learned (current)

Wechsler Tests WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) Most widely used intelligence test Wechsler thought intelligence was made up of several mental abilities, not “g” More common way to give IQ tests….does not use the formula but uses the same scoring system 4 Major Scores Verbal Comprehension Perceptual reasoning Working memory Processing Speed…

How do we construct an Intelligence Test? To be widely accepted, tests have to meet 3 criteria: standardized, reliable, & valid Standardized: the questions have been given to a similar populations and the scores fall on a normal distribution Intelligence tests are restandardized…FLYNN EFFECT!!! Reliable: measure of how consistent a test is (repeated) Test-Retest Method & Split-halves Method make more reliable Validity: a test measures what it is supposed to Content: measures the content it is supposed to (ex: AP test %) Predictive: there is a correlation b/w test & future performance Aptitude tests are often criticized for not being predictive Stanford-Binet & Wechsler tests meet these requirements

Normal Distribution

The Flynn Effect

Does Intelligence Change Over Time? By age 4, a child’s IQ can predict adolescent IQ scores. Most kids w/ high IQ scores were early readers Parents, read to your kids!!!

Extremes of Intelligence Intellectual Disability limited mental ability intelligence score of 70 or below Difficulty adapting to life demands controversial Self-fulfilling Prophecy If we are told/treated as “smart” we will act that way Prophecy fulfilled Works the other way, too 

Nature vs. Nurture: Intelligence Twin studies: Nature Studies show that twins raised together have almost same intelligence test scores those raised apart have very similar scores Bouchard (twin researcher) estimates 70% of intelligence score variation can be attributed to genes (heritability) Others say 30-50% Environment: Nurture A stimulating sensory environment can influence Nutrition impacts cognitive development Not all experts can agree

Group Differences in Test Scores Same in Overall Intelligence Girls Better spellers Verbal ability Fluency & remembering words Nonverbal memory Objects & location (evolution? berries & food?) Sensation More sensitive to touch, taste, odor Emotion detecting Facial emotions & better responsiveness Equal to boys in math better at math computation Boys Math problem solving (SAT math) Physics Computer science Spatial abilities ex: fitting suitcases in car trunk, chess Far greater variance Lots more at low extreme & high extreme than girls