Chapter 9 Intelligence And Psychological Testing

Psychological testing Standardized measure of a sample of a person’s behavior

Principal types of tests 1.Mental ability tests a.Intelligence b.Aptitude c.Achievement 2.Personality tests

Mental ability tests 1.Intelligence general mental abilities 2.Aptitude potential learning 3.Achievement mastery

Intelligence 1.Fluid intelligence= abstract and symbolic 2.Crystallized intelligence= specific facts and information

Personality tests Measure various aspects of personality including motives, interests, values, and attitudes

Standardization Uniform procedures used in the administration and scoring of a test

Why Standardize? Would it be fair if all students could use their flashcards on the AP exam except students in Miami?

Test norms Provide information about where a score on a psychological test ranks in relation to other scores

Reliability  Consistent  Correlation coefficient for 1.Test-retest 2.Split-half 3.Alternate form 4.Interrater reliability

Validity the extent to which a test measures what it was designed to measure 1.Content validity 2.Criterion-related validity 3.Construct validity

Content validity  the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest  To get your license you take a road test

Criterion-related validity  Also called Predictive Validity  success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict

Criterion-related validity  assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior  Do SAT scores predict first year grades in college?

Construct validity  Extent to which there is evidence that a test measures a particular hypothetical construct  Figure 9.5

Briar patch! Do not confuse standardization, reliabilty, and validity!

Concept Check 9.1 Recognizing basic concepts in testing

Evolution of intelligence testing 1.Galton 2.Binet 3.Terman and Stanford- Binet 4.Army Alpha and Beta 5.Wechsler

Galton 1.Genetics determines intelligence 2.His work was not successful, but kicked off the field of intelligence testing

Binet’s breakthrough  Alfred Binet  In France  First developed to identify students with special needs

Mental age Mental ability typical of a child of that chronological (actual) age

Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale  Binet’s test revised by Terman at Stanford University  Uses Intelligence quotient (IQ)

IQ  defined originally the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100  IQ = ma/ca x 100)

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) subtests  verbal  performance (nonverbal) Figure 9.6 for sample questions

Assessing Intelligence: WAIS From Thorndike and Hagen, 1977 VERBAL General Information Similarities Arithmetic Reasoning Vocabulary Comprehension Digit Span PERFORMANCE Picture Completion Picture Arrangement Block Design Object Assembly Digit-Symbol Substitution

The Normal Curve

Questions about Intelligence Do intelligence tests measure potential knowledge?

Questions about Intelligence Do intelligence tests measure potential knowledge?  IQ tests measure potential and knowledge  Remember numerous intelligence tests, not just traditional IQ test

Questions about Intelligence Do intelligence tests have adequate reliability?

Questions about Intelligence Do intelligence tests have adequate reliability?  Excellent reliability  Beware of variation due to anxiety or motivation

Questions about Intelligence Do intelligence tests have adequate validity?

Questions about Intelligence Do intelligence tests have adequate validity? IQ tests are valid measures of success in academic work, but is that intelligence?

What is Intelligence?  Intelligence  Not concrete  Intelligence is a concept  Many ways of conceptualizing intelligence

Theories of Intelligence 1.Factor-analysis approach 2.General intelligence 3.Multiple intelligences 4.Successful intelligence 5.Emotional intelligence

Factor analysis approach 1.Factor analysis = statistical technique that groups items 2.Not theory driven 3.More bang for your buck! We will revisit this approach when we discuss theories of personality

General Intelligence  G Factor  factor that Spearman and others believed underlies specific mental abilities

Multiple intelligences  Howard Gardner  Very popular  Look for empirical support!

Who would score high on…  Linguistic  Logical-mathematical  Musical  Body-Kinesthetic  Spatial  Interpersonal  Intrapersonal  Naturalist

Who would score high on…  Linguistic -T.S Eliot  Logical-mathematical -Einstein  Musical -Stravinsky  Body-Kinesthetic –J.LO  Spatial -Picasso  Interpersonal -Rogers  Intrapersonal -Ghandi  Naturalist -Darwin

Sternberg’s triangular theory 1.Analytical intelligence 2.Practical intelligence 3.Creative intelligence Sternberg loves those Triangles!

Intelligence questions Do intelligence tests predict vocational success?

Intelligence questions Do intelligence tests predict vocational success?  High IQ significant positive correlation with High status job  Confounding variables exist

Intelligence questions Are IQ tests widely used in other cultures?

Intelligence questions Are IQ tests widely used in other cultures?  Western cultures = yes  Non western = no

Extremes of intelligence 1.Mental retardation 2.Giftedness

Extremes of Intelligence  As the range of data under consideration narrows, its predictive power diminishes Greater correlation over broad range of body weights Little corre- lation within restricted range Football linemen’s success Body weight in pounds

Mental retardation  a condition of limited mental ability  varies from mild to profound  Table 9.2

Origins of mental retardation 1.Biological pathology  Down Syndrome  Phenylketonuria  Hydrocephaly 2.Environmental factors  Fetal alcohol syndrome  Nutrition, medical care, neglect

Giftedness 1.If you were in a gifted class, probably took the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) 2.Top 2-3% of IQ distribution 3.Still require training, effort, and perseverance for success

Heredity  Nature  the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes

Environment  Nurture  the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to experience

Environmental influence  Pages  Adoption studies  Deprivation and enrichment  Home versus school  Flynn effect

Reaction range  Page 361  Genetically determined limits  Environment determines pinpoint within range

Nature + Nurture Reaction range Variation within group Difference within group Poor soilFertile soil Seeds

Empirical research  Twin studies  Adoption studies  Figure 9.12

Heritability estimates  Estimate of proportion of trait variability due to genes  Nature and nurture impact each other

Interaction of Heredity and environment  Bottom line: both impact intelligence  Exciting question: how do they interact?

IQ Differences  Jensen  Hernstein & Murray The Bell Curve  Kamin and Eysenck

The Bell Curve  Controversial NY Times Bestseller  Ethnic and cultural differences in IQ due to genetics  Can’t change

Logical fallacy  Group differences related to environment  Individual differences or reaction range due to genetics

Explanations  Socioeconomic status (SES)  Stereotype vulnerability  Cultural bias on IQ tests

Featured Study Racial stereotypes and Test Performance

New Directions 1.Specific abilities 2.Biological indexes 3.Cognitive processes 4.Expanding the concept of intelligence 5.Emotional intelligence

Remember to review 1.Understanding creativity 2.The intelligence debate, appeals to ignorance, and reification