Intelligence

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Intelligence
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What is Intelligence?

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

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Is intelligence one general ability

• Charles Spearman believed we have General
  Intelligence (often shortened to g), a general
  intelligence factor that underlies specific
  mental abilities and is therefore measured by
  every task on an intelligence test.
• An intelligence test is a method for assessing an
  individuals mental aptitudes and comparing them
  with those of others, suing numerical scores.
• The idea of g was very controversial back in the
  day and still is.
• Spearman helped develop Factor Analysis, a
  statistical procedure that identifies clusters of
  related items.

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Or Not?

• One of Spearmans early components was L.L.
  Thurstone. Thurstone gave 56 different tests to
  people and mathematically identified several
  clusters of primary mental abilities. (word
  fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability,
  perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive
  reasoning, and memory). He did not rate them on a
  single scale of aptitude.
• BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT. There are some
  people who score well on one sort of cognitive
  test and score well on another. Could this be
  because over time different abilities interact
  and feed one another.
• (ex a speedy runners throwing ability improves
  after being engaged in sports that develop both
  running and throwing abilities.)

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Theories of multiple intelligence

• Gardners Eight Intelligences
• Howard Gardner viewed intelligence as multiple
  abilities that come in packagaes.
• Savant Syndrome is a condition in which a person
  otherwise limited in mental ability has an
  exceptional specific skill, such as in
  computation or drawing. About 4 in 5 people with
  savant syndrome are males, and many also have
  autism.
• Argument we do not have an intelligence but
  rather multiple intelligences.

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Sternbergs three intelligences

• Robert Sternberg believes there is more to
  success than traditional intelligence and
  proposes a triarchic theory of three
  intelligences.
• Analytical (academic problem solving) is
  assessed by intelligence tests, which present
  well defined problems, having one single right
  answer. These tests predict school grades.
• Creative demonstrated in reacting adaptively to
  novel situations and generating novel ideas.
• Practical required for everyday tasks (street
  smart)

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Genetic and Environmental Influences on
Intelligence
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What Factors Determine Intelligence?

• In addition to disagreements about the basic
  nature of intelligence, psychologists have spent
  a great amount of time and energy debating the
  various influences on individual intelligence.
  This then brings up the commonly referenced
  debate/topic of Nature vs. Nurture.

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A Quick Overview of Nature vs. Nurture

• The nature versus nurture debate is one of the
  oldest issues in psychology. The debate centers
  on the relative contributions of genetic
  inheritance and environmental factors to human
  development.
• Simply put in relation to the unit its the
  debate as to whether our predisposed genetics, or
  the social environment we grow up in, effects our
  intelligence more.

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Nature vs. Nurture among Similarity of
Intelligence Scores

• On the front of Nature, twin
• studies show that genetics
• do play a major part in
• revealing similarities in intelli-
• gence. However, this same
• graph shows that separation
• can create enough of a lower
• correlation for one to
• recognize its impact.
• Also, you see the dramatic
• difference between identical
• and fraternal twins. With two
• identical twins reared apart
• showing more of a similarity
• than fraternal twins who have
• been together.

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The many effects of Nurture on Intelligence

• There are many facets to the Nurture side that
  can affect intelligence, from breast feeding, to
  diet. Whether biological, or socio-cultural.
• Some examples
• Children who are breastfed during the first three
  to five months of life score higher on IQ tests
  at age 6 than same-age children who were not
  breastfed (Reinberg, 2008).
• Proper nutrition is especially critical in the
  early stages of life, as it establishes a
  base-line for further intellectual development.
  Malnutrition can disrupt neural connections and
  pathways, and leave a person unable to recover
  mentally.
• stress can put undue pressure on the development
  of a human body such that it can cause
  irreparable damage.
• an encouraging home-life that is conducive to
  learning has a direct effect on intelligence test
  scores.
• There are many other examples, but they break
  down generally into two major parts
• http//education-portal.com/academy/lesson/biologi
  cal-bases-of-intelligence.htmllesson

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Early Interaction and Schooling

• The two major points in which the social aspect
  of nurture.
• Early Interaction is very self explanatory and
  very obvious as to why it is important, this is
  the early stages of childhood and infancy. Where
  a healthy, stress-free, environment with
  consistent loving, human interaction is present.
  Lack of this, or the exact opposite, i.e. abuse
  or malnutrition, can have dangerous life long
  negative effects on one's intelligence.
• Schooling works under the same principle. A child
  needs a consistent education where their mind is
  nurtured and given experience for a majority of
  their young life. Where they can work with peers,
  solve problems, and be independant. This is
  evident when someone who is given an education at
  a young age is much older, is then compared to
  someone who wasn't given that opportunity.

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Final thoughts on Nature vs. Nurture

• Overall, the debate between the two falls
  somewhere in the middle when concerning itself
  with the development of intelligence (with a
  slight tip towards Nature in sibling
  similarities). Heredity is only credited towards
  50 of the variation in intelligence, giving the
  other half to the countless social-cultural
  aspects one is faced with through early life.
• You cant have one without the other, for
  instance, if you are born with a large capacity
  to be very intelligent and successful, but your
  childhood and home life leading up to that was
  very bad, chances are, you will struggle getting
  to where you need to be.

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Group Differences in Test Scores

• Looking at the variaiton in different ethnic
  groups in terms of intelligence scores show a
  wide margin of scores. This is divulged from two
  major albeit uncomfortable facts. 1. Different
  ethnic groups have different test score averages.
  2. Those who succeed and do well in these
  situations early, are given more oppurtunities
  and have more chances later on.
• If we look at racial differences, white Americans
  score higher in average intelligence than black
  Americans (Avery and others, 1994). European New
  Zealanders score higher than native New
  Zealanders (Braden, 1994).

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Why is this the Case?

• The reason that those two facts exist are very
  simple, and one doesn't need to be a student of
  psychology to be aware as to why.
• These differences in these ethnic groups is
  caused almost solely on environmental factors.
  With environments being more or less fertile for
  developing intelligence better than others. And
  those who are put in these better environments
  are then given more opportunities because of
  their success in a place where they were already
  given an advantage. Thus creating a snowball
  effect.

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Why is this solely environmental?

• This is solely environmental because races are
  alike genetically, save for a few variations. But
  these variations are generally don't interfere
  with abilities such as intelligence. Also, things
  such as race and or ethnicity, are social
  constructs, even though at first glance they are
  represented through unimportant genetic
  variations.

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Gender Variation in Intelligence

• Here are 8 facts in which Males and Females
  differ in abilities.
• 1. Girls are better spellers
• 2. Girls are verbally fluent and have large
  vocabularies
• 3. Girls are better at locating objects
• 4. Girls are more sensitive to touch, taste, and
  color
• 5. Boys outnumber girls in counts of
  underachievement
• 6. Boys outperform girls at math problem solving,
  but under perform at math computation
• 7. Women detect emotions more easily than men do
• 8. Girls go to college to get more knowledge,
  Boys go to Jupiter, to get more stupider.(has
  yet to be 100 proven).

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Review

1. What affects intelligence more? Nature, Nurture,
   or a combination of the two?
2. How much does Heritability count towards
   variation in intelligence?
3. What is the major factor in variation of
   intelligence between ethnic groups?
4. Name one intelligence ability a man has a woman
   may not have, and vice versa.

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Unit 11 (C)Assessing Intelligence
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Do Now

• What are some ways that psychologists can test a
  persons intelligence? Are these methods
  credible?

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History of Intelligence Tests

• -Western philosophy is fundamentally different
  from Eastern philosophy due to its focus on the
  individual rather than the group
• -Plato No two persons are born exactly alike
  but each differs from the other in natural
  endowments, one being suited for one occupation
  and the other for another.
• -Einstein Everybody is a genius. But if you
  judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree,
  it'll spend its whole life believing that it is
  stupid.

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Francis Galton

• -Francis Galton (1822-1911), inspired by his
  cousin Charles Darwin's theory, wondered if
  natural ability could be measured and bred
• -He devised a test based on such traits as
  reaction time, sensory activity, muscular power,
  and body proportion
• -His test of over 10,000 people in 1884 generated
  no results which correlated
• -He gave future intelligence testers some
  statistical techniques coined nature nurture

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The Modern Intelligence Test

• - Modern intelligence tests began around the turn
  of the century, when French children became
  required to attend school
• - Teachers needed to see what areas the students
  needed help in, as well as an unbiased way to
  divide the children up

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Binet and Simon

• - The French government hired Alfred Binet in
  1904, and together with collaborator Théodore
  Simon, he set about devising a test
• - Binet and Simon assumed that all people advance
  along the same path, and intellectual differences
  are due to different speeds along the path
• - Their goal therefore became measuring a child's
  mental age, or the chronological age that most
  typically corresponds to a given level of
  performance

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Binet's Test After Death

• - Binet's test was developed to identify kids
  needing special attention, not measure modern
  intelligence, yet he feared they would be used in
  that way to limit children's opportunities
• - After his death in 1911, others began adapting
  his test to numerically measure inherited
  intellect
• - Lewis Terman (1877-1956) altered expanded
  Binet's test into the Stanford-Binet Test

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Intelligence Quotient

• - Using Terman's test among others, German
  psychologist William Stern derived the famous IQ
  test (PIC OF IQ EQUATION)
• - This measurement worked well for kids but not
  adults, where mental age did not differ as
  drastically
• - More modern tests relate test takers'
  performances to each other rather than to a
  standard
• - Terman promoted these tests for eugenics

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Intelligence Tests the US

• - The US government used these tests for judging
  immigrants and WWI recruits
• - Due to the tests favoring of Western (American)
  culture and education, along with the test's
  inaccuracies, Southern and Eastern Europeans
  received lower scores, adding to the US's
  immigration restrictions and negative social
  feelings and opinions towards immigrants
• - Many former supporters were horrified at what
  the tests had become
• - This showed that science is often value-laden

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Achievement vs Aptitude

• - Achievement Test a test designed to assess
  what a person has learnedcurrent performance
  (Ex. Unit test)
• - Aptitude Test a test designed to predict a
  person's future performance (Ex. SAT)
• - Howard Gardner
• - Both kinds of tests are influenced by the other

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Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

• - David Wechsler created WAIS, the most used
  intelligence test at the moment
• - Consists of 11 subtests broken into verbal and
  performance areas
• - It yields an overall score as well as separate
  verbal comprehension, perceptual organization,
  working memory, and processing speed
• - Differences in these areas can aid therapists,
  psychologists, teachers, etc. in building up weak
  areas
• - wechsleradultintelligencescale.com

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The Flynn Effect

• - Average intelligence has increased from a 76,
  by todays standards, in the 1930's
• - This phenomenon, called the Flynn effect for
  James Flynn who discovered it, is worldwide
• - No one knows why exactly this occurs
• - The results are counter-hereditarian the lower
  class has increased more and still intelligence
  has gone up

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Test Construction Criteria

• - Tests must be standardized, reliable, and valid
  (the Stanford-Binet and WAIS meet these)
• - Standardized scores, or scores made meaningful
  by comparing them with the performance of the
  pretested group, distribute over a bell or normal
  curve
• - To keep scores standard at 100 the tests are
  periodically restandardized right now you would
  be compared to testers in 1996, not those in the
  first test in the 1930's

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Reliability

• - Reliability the extent to which a test yields
  consistent results
• - This is tested by retesting people or scoring
  them on two halves of the same test
• - The Stanford-Binet, WAIS, and WISC all have
  reliability of about .9, which is very reliable

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Validity

• - Validity the extent to which a test measures
  or predicts what it is supposed to
• - Content Validity the extent to which a test
  samples the behavior that is of interest
• - Predictive Validity the success with which a
  test predicts the behavior it is designed to
  predict assessed by computing the correlation
  between test scores and the criterion behavior

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Predictable Validity

• - Predictability is good from 6-12 (.6) but gets
  worse as testers get older (SAT lt.5)
• - This is because correlation becomes negligible
  the narrowed the range gets

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Review

• - What do intelligence tests measure?
• - What are the criteria for a good intellect
  test?
• - Explain the difference between achievement
  tests and aptitude tests

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Sources

• http//www.wechsleradultintelligencescale.com
• http//www.galton.org
• http//www.intelltheory.com
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vv5knhWYvmL8
• Myers, David G.. Psychology. 9th ed. New York
  Worth Publishers, 2008. Print.

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The Dynamics of Intelligence
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• Intellectual Disability
• Generalized disorder appearing before adulthood,
  characterized by significantly impaired cognitive
  functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive
  behaviors.
• Also known as mental retardation
• Down Syndrome
• A genetic disorder caused by the presence of all
  or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is
  typically associated with physical growth delays,
  characteristic facial features and mild to
  moderate intellectual disability.
• IQ of a young adult with Down syndrome is 50,
  similar to the mental age of an 8 or 9 year old
  child, but this varies widely

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Stability or Change

• Psychologists have yet to see how intelligence
  will change over time.
• infants who quickly grow bored with a picture and
  prefer to look at a new one, score higher on
  tests of brain speed and intelligence up to 21
  years later.
• Casual observation and intelligence before age 3
  only modestly predict childrens future
  aptitudes.
• Children who begin to speak before about age 3
  are not especially likely to be reading by age 4
  ½
• By age 4, childrens performances on intelligence
  tests begin to predict their adolescent and adult
  scores. Higher scoring adolescents tend to have
  been earlier readers. Intelligence tests given to
  5 year olds do predict school achievement.
• By age 7 intelligence test scores stabilize. The
  consistency of scores over time increases with
  age of the child

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• in 1932, Ian Deary, gave virtually every child
  born in 1921 (87,496 children) intelligence
  tests. He wanted to identify the working class
  children who would benefit from further
  education. Then, intelligence tests were then
  administered to 542 adults who were still alive
  from the original study.
• higher scoring 11 year olds were more likely to
  be living independently as 77 year olds and were
  less likely to have suffered late-onset
  Alzheimers disease.
• 93 nuns were tested and were confronted that
  those exhibiting less verbal ability in essays
  written when entering their convent in their
  teens were more at risk for Alzheimers disease
  after age 75.

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Extremes of Intelligence

• Low Extreme
• Fall at 70 or below (mental retardation, low test
  score and difficulty adapting to the norms)
• only 1 of the population has mental retardation,
  more males than females
• The Flynn effect, the tests have been
  periodically restandardized.

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• High Extreme
• Above 130
• In 1921, Lewis Terman, studied 1500 school
  children with IQs over 135 and found that
  intellectually gifted children were healthy,
  well-adjusted, and unusually successful
  academically.
• 13 year olds who placed in the 1 of the SAT math
  section, at age 33, were twice as likely to have
  patents as were those in the bottom 1
• Jean Piaget by age 7 was devoting his free time
  to studying birds, fossils, and machines by age
  15, was publishing scientific articles.

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• http//www.test-my-iq.com/en-us/iqtest/27
• http//www.free-iqtest.net/iq.asp