Unit 11

* intelligence: * aggregate or global capacity * to act purposefully * to think rationally * to deal effectively with the environment * fluid intelligence * crystallized intelligence

* intelligence as a “constructed concept” * given great cultural variation, intelligence is ability to * learn from experience * solve problems * use knowledge to adapt to new situations * general intelligence: * common skill set * factor analysis * correlations among many variables analyzed to identify closely related clusters of variables * savant syndrome

* multiple intelligences: * Howard Gardner’s theory that * people process information differently * intelligence is composed of many different factors, including at least 8 intelligences * logical-mathematical * verbal-linguistic * spatial * bodily-kinesthetic * musical * interpersonal * intrapersonal * naturalistic

* emotional intelligence * the ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions * triarchic theory of intelligence * 3 separate and testable intelligences * analytical (facts) * practical (“street smarts”) * creative (seeing multiple solutions)

* relationship between “intelligence” and brain anatomy/neural processing speed * modest correlation between intelligence and brain size * number of synaptic connections * variable neural plasticity * perceptual speed * neurological speed

* mental age * the chronological age that typically corresponds to a given level of performance on intelligence tests * Standford-Binet intelligence test * a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with others, using numerical scores * intelligence quotient (IQ) * a child’s mental age divided by chronological age, multiplied by 100

* achievement tests * a test designed to assess what a person has learned * aptitude tests * a test designed to predict a person’s future performance * Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) * 3 age-based individual IQ tests: * WPPSI (Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence) * WISC (Intelligence Scale for Children) * WAIS (Adult Intelligence Scale) * all based on two scores, verbal and performance

* standardization * a 2-part test development procedure * test norms are established from the test results of a large representative sample * procedures are created to assure tat the test is administered and scored uniformly for all test takers * norms * standards used to compare scores of test takers * normal distribution * a symmetric, bell-shaped curve that represents the patterns in which many characteristics are dispersed in the population

* 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 what it is supposed to measure * predictive validity * the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict * assessed by computing the correlation between test s cores and the criterion behavior (aka criterion-related validity) * content validity * the degree to which the content of a test is representative of the domain it is supposed to cover

* creativity * the generation of ideas that are original, novel and useful * threshold theory * a certain level of intelligence is necessary but not sufficient for creativity

* nature vs. nurture * intellectual disability * formerly referred to as mental retardation * a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by a score of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life * varies from mild to profound * cultural-familial retardation

* twin studies and intelligence * identical twins reared together * adoptees and biological parents * heritability: 50 to 75% * other environmental influences * income * school attendance * Flynn effect

* Down syndrome * a condition of intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21 * fetal alcohol syndrome * a cluster of abnormalities that occurs in babies of mothers who drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy * low intelligence, small head, flat face, misshapen eyes, flat nose

* within-group differences * range of scores for variables being measured for a group of individuals * between-group differences * the difference between the means of tow groups of individuals for a common variable * stereotype threat * a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype