Psychology Unit V: Intelligence

INTELLIGENCE

• the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

Multiple Intelligences

• idea that studying savants
• savants: when a person has limited mental ability, but is exceptional in one area

Gardner's Multiple Intelligences 

1. visual/spatial
2. verbal/linguistic
3. logical/mathematical
4. bodily/kinesthetic
5. musical/rhythmic
6. interpersonal
7. intrapersonal
8. natural

Factor Analysis

• statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test

Gardner Simplified

• analytical: academic & problem solving
• creative: generating novel ideas
• practical: required for everyday tasks where multiple solutions exist

Emotional Intelligence

• ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions

How Do We Assess Intelligence?

• Alfred Binet & Theodore Simon
• mental age: what a person of a particular age should know
• discovering mental age can predict future performance
• use test to help children, not label them

Brain Size and Intelligence, Is There a Link?

• small + .15 correlation between head size and intelligence scores (relative to body size)
• using a MRI we found + .44 correlation with brain size and IQ score

IQ Test

• Terman
• IQ = (mental age / chronological age) X 100

Brain Function & Intelligence

• higher performing brains use less active than lower performing brains (use less glucose)
• neurological speed is also a bit quicker

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

• consists of 11 subtests and cues us in to strengths by using factor analysis

Standardization

• the test must be pre - tested to a representative sample of people and form a normal distribution or bell curve

Aptitude vs. Achievement Tests

• Aptitude: a test designed to predict a person's future performance, the ability for that person to learn
• Achievement: a test designed to assess what a person has learned

Flynn Effect

• intelligence test performance has been rising

How Do We Conduct Intelligence Tests?

• they must be standardized, reliable, and valid

Validity

• the extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure

Content Validity

• does the test sample a behavior of interest

Predictive Validity

• does the test predict future behavior

Test Bias?

• do discriminate
• some argue that their sole purpose is to discriminate