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Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable?
Brain size correlation to intelligence: +.33 What does this mean?
Portion sizes vary as well Einstein had abnormally large parietal lobes
Environmental experiences impact Rat neural connections example Highly educated people die with 17% more
synapses than counterparts
Other Environmental Influences
Infants who suffer from extreme malnutrition during infancy average 20 I.Q. points lower than other children (Stock and Smythe, 1963)
Toxins in the environment such as lead found in some paints are associated with reduced I.Q. (Needleman, 1990)
Intelligence declines with family size; the fewer children there are the smarter you are likely to be (Zajonc, 1975)
Intelligence declines with birth order; first-borns tend to be brighter (Zajonc, 1975)
I.Q. is negatively correlated with family risk factors, such as social class or absence of father figure (1989)
Are There Multiple Intelligences?
Social Intelligence the know-how involved in
comprehending social situations and managing oneself successfully
Emotional Intelligence ability to perceive, express,
understand, and regulate emotions
Brain Function and Intelligence
Correlation between fast perceptual speed and general intelligence People who can
perceive the stimulus very quickly tend to score somewhat higher on intelligence tests
Stimulus Mask
Question: Long side on left or right?
Neurological SpeedCorrelation between intelligence
and neurological processing
Assessing Intelligence
Aptitude Test a test designed to
predict a person’s future performance
aptitude is the capacity to learn
Achievement Test a test designed to assess what a
person has learned (ex: unit exams, driver’s test)
Assessing Intelligence
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) most widely used intelligence test subtests
verbal performance (nonverbal)
Assessing Intelligence: Sample Items from the WAIS
From Thorndike and Hagen, 1977
VERBAL
General Information Similarities Arithmetic ReasoningVocabularyComprehensionDigit Span
PERFORMANCE
Picture Completion Picture ArrangementBlock DesignObject AssemblyDigit-Symbol Substitution
Assessing Intelligence
Standardization defining meaningful scores by comparison
with the performance of a pretested “standardization group”
Normal Curve the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that
describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes
most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes
Assessing Intelligence
Reliability the extent to which a test yields
consistent results assessed by consistency of scores on:
two halves of the test alternate forms of the test retesting
Validity the extent to which a test measures or
predicts what it is supposed to
Assessing Intelligence
Content Validity the extent to which a test samples
the behavior that is of interest driving test that samples driving tasks
Criterion behavior (such as college grades)
that a test (such as the SAT) is designed to predict
the measure used in defining whether the test has predictive validity
Assessing Intelligence
Predictive Validity 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
also called criterion-related validity
Assessing Intelligence
As the range of data under consideration narrows, its predictive power diminishes
Greater correlationover broad rangeof body weights
10
9
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7
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2
1
0
Little corre-lation withinrestricted
range
Football linemen’s
success
Body weight in pounds180 250 290
The Dynamics of Intelligence
Is intelligence stable across the lifespan or does it change?
Intelligence test scores don’t stabilize until about age 7; after that about a +.66 correlation over time
The Dynamics of Intelligence
Extremes of Intelligence Mental Retardation
a condition of limited mental ability indicated by an intelligence score below 70 produces difficulty in adapting to the
demands of life varies from mild to profound
Down Syndrome retardation and associated physical
disorders caused by an extra chromosome in one’s genetic makeup
Tracking
From early age students are often tracked into “gifted” programs and “remedial” programs… what’s a potential problem with this? Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Environmental Influences
The Schooling EffectThe Schooling Effect
Intelligence scores drop over the summer when students are not in school
Group Differences
Average IQ scores by racial groups Whites: Roughly 100 Blacks: Roughly 85 Hispanics: Roughly 92/93
Differences are diminishing over time What explains these differences?
Group Differences
Gender Differences Girls score higher on:
SpellingVerbal AbilityNonverbal MemorySensation (more sensitive)Detecting Emotion
Boys outnumber girls in special education, talklater, stutter more often
Girls now match orsurpass boys at math
The Question of Bias Are intelligence tests biased?
Depends on definition of “biased,” but… Yes, often due to CULTURAL BIAS
Chitling Test, Australian Aboriginie Test examples
Stereotype ThreatA self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype Example: Women score higher on math tests when no
male test-takers are in the room