Presented to you by: Adina Beslagic, Katy Levigne, Sam Hinson,
Renee Smith, and Natalie Warren
Intelligence
The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations
What is intelligence?
Aptitude ExemplarLinguistic T.S. Eliot, poetLogical-Mathematical Steve Jobs, InventorMusical Beyonce, songwriterSpatial Pablo Picasso, artistBodily-kinesthetic Alvin Ailey, dancerIntrapersonal (self) Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist Interpersonal (other people) Martin Luther King, leaderNaturalist Charles Darwin, naturalist
Gardner's Eight Intelligences
Achievement TestA test designed to test what a person has learned
Aptitude TestA test designed to predict a person’s future
performance (aptitude is the capacity to learn)Intelligence Test
A method for assessing an individuals mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others using numerical scores
RequirementsAll psychological tests must be reliable, valid, and
standardized
Ways of Measuring Intelligence
Alfred Binet: Predicting School Achievement The French government did not trust teachers’
subjective judgments of their children’s learning potential
France’s minister of public education commissioned Alfred Binet and others to study the problem
Binet and his collaborators sought out to find an accurate measurement of a child’s intelligence, they did so by establishing a child’s mental age (“dull” children preform at mental ages less than their real age, and “bright” children preform at ages older than their own )
Origins of Intelligence Testing
Lewis Terman: The Innate IQTerman took Binet’s assessment and added a
few components to extent the upper end of the test’s range from teenagers to “superior adults”Mental Age/Chronological Age (x100)
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)The WAIS consists of 11 subtests. It yields an
overall intelligence score along with separate scores for verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, working memory, and processing speed
Origins of Intelligence Testing
Genetic Influences Studies of twins, family members, and adopted children together have
proven the significance of hereditary contribution to intelligence.
Environmental Influences Life experiences also have a strong influence on intelligence test
performance. Environmental factors such as care giving and nutrition can also affect intelligence.
Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores Like individuals, groups vary in intelligence test scores. In some cases,
racial gaps in test scores can be attribute do differences in environment and culture.
The Question of Bias Aptitude tests aim to predict how well a test-taker will perform in a
given situation. But, a biased test predicts less accurately for one group than for another. So, experts do not consider the major aptitude tests to be significantly biased.
Genetic and Environmental Influences
Racial groups differ in their average scored on intelligence tests
High scoring people and groups are more likely to attain higher levels of education and incomeThe bell curve for Whites is centered roughly
around IQ 100; 85 for Blacks, and those that belong in different subgroups of Hispanics fall (roughly) midway between those for Whites and Blacks.
*Stereotype Threat: A self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype
Group Differences in Intelligence Scores
Theory Summary Strengths Other Considerations
Spearman’s General Intelligence
A basic intelligence predicts our abilities in varied academic areas.
Different abilities, such as verbal and spatial do have some tendency to correlate.
Human abilities are too diverse to be evaluated by a single general intelligence factor.
Thurstone’s primary mental abilities
Our intelligence may be broken down into seven factors: word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning, and memory.
A single intelligence story is not as informative as scores for seven primary mental abilities.
The seven mental abilities show a tendency to cluster, suggesting an additional intelligence factor.
Gardner’s multiple intelligences
Our abilities are best classified into eight independent intelligences, which include a broad range of skills beyond traditional school smarts.
Intelligence is more than just verbal and mathematical skills. Other abilities are equally important to our human adaptability.
Should all abilities be considered intelligence? Or could some be considered talents?
Sternberg’s triarchic
Our intelligence is best classified into three areas that predict our real-world success: analytical, creative, and practical.
These three facets may be reliably measured
1. These facets may be less independent than Sternberg thought and may share an underlying intelligence factor
2. 2. Additional testing is needed to determine whether these facets can reliably predict success
Comparing Theories of Intelligence
Level Appx. Intelligence Scores
% of Persons with Retardation
Adaption to Demands of Life
Mild 50-70 85% May learn academic skills up to sixth-grade level. Adults may (with some assistance) achieve self –supporting social and vocational skills
Moderate 35-50 10% May progress to second-grade level academically. Adults may contribute to their own support by laboring in sheltered workshops
Severe 20-35 3-4% May learn to talk and to perform simple work tasks under close supervision buy are generally unable to profit from vocational training
Profound Below 20 1-2% Require constant aid and supervision
Extremes of Intelligence: RetardationRetardation can be caused by physical incapability, neglect from caregivers, and genetic mutations
Gender Similarities and Differences
Girls BoysSpelling Girls are better spellers At the end of high school in
the U.S. 30% of males are better spellers than girls
Verbal Ability Girls are more verbally fluent and more capable of remembering words
Nonverbal Memory In studies, girls have surpassed boys at locating objects and executing picture associations.
Sensation Girls are more sensitive to taste, touch, and odor
Underachievement Girls tend to begin speaking earlier and do not stutter as often as boys
Among high school underachievers, boys outnumber girls three to one.
Math and spatial aptitudes Females have an edge in math computation
Males in 20 of 21 countries scored higher than women in math problem solving. U.S high school seniors have averaged 45 points higher on the SAT math test and females
Psychologist who visited an Iranian orphanage to observe the effects of early experience and the importance of caregivers intervention in an infants developmental process
He found that the typical child could not sit up unassisted at age two or walk by age four. Due to the lack of contact, the children developed little sense of personal control over their environment and became passive “glum lumps”
J. McVicker Hunt (1982)
Do Twins Really Have Similar IQ’s?
Analytical IntelligenceThe ability to accurately solve problems
Creative IntelligenceThe ability to deal with new situations using past
experiences and current skillsPractical Intelligence
The ability to adapt to a chancing environmentEmotional Intelligence
Involves the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions. Those with a high emotional intelligence are better able to have higher-quality relationships with others.
Contemporary Intelligence Theories
Creativity is the ability to produce ideas that are both novel and valuable.
What is Creativity?
1. Expertise The more images, ideas, and phrases available to us through
our accumulated learning, the more chances we have to combine these mental blocks in new ways.
2. Imaginative Thinking Skills By making patterns and connections, find ways to expand on
our previous experiences3. A Venturesome Personality
Preserves in overcoming obstacles and seeks new experiences rather than following pack.
4. Intrinsic Motivation People will be the most creative when they are motivated my
interest and satisfaction rather than external pressures.5. A Creative Environment
Sparks, supports, and refines creative ideas.
What Influences Creativity?