Myers PSYCHOLOGY

(7th Ed)

Chapter 11
Intelligence
James A. McCubbin, PhD
Clemson University

Worth Publishers
Origins of
Intelligence Testing
Intelligence Test
a method of
assessing an
individuals
mental aptitudes
and comparing
them to those of
others, using
numerical scores
Origins of
Intelligence Testing
Mental Age
a measure of intelligence test
performance devised by Binet
chronological age that most
typically corresponds to a given
level of performance
child who does as well as the
average 8-year-old is said to have
a mental age of 8
Origins of
Intelligence Testing
Stanford-Binet
the widely used American
revision of Binets original
intelligence test
revised by Terman at
Stanford University
Origins of
Intelligence Testing
Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
defined originally the ratio of
mental age (ma) to chronological
age (ca) multiplied by 100
IQ = ma/ca x 100)
on contemporary tests, the
average performance for a given
age is assigned a score of 100
What is Intelligence?

Intelligence
ability to learn from
experience, solve problems,
and use knowledge to adapt
to new situations
What is Intelligence?
Factor Analysis
statistical procedure that identifies clusters
of related items (called factors) on a test
used to identify different dimensions of
performance that underlie ones total score
General Intelligence (g)
factor that Spearman and others believed
underlies specific mental abilities
measured by every task on an intelligence
test
Are There Multiple
Intelligences?
Savant Syndrome
condition in which a person otherwise
limited in mental ability has an
exceptional specific skill
computation
drawing
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
Intelligence and
Creativity
Creativity
the ability to produce novel and
valuable ideas
expertise
imaginative thinking skills
venturesome personality
intrinsic motivation
creative environment
Brain Function and
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?

Assessing Intelligence

Aptitude Test
a test designed to predict a
persons future performance
aptitude is the capacity to learn
Achievement Test
a test designed to assess what a
person has learned
Assessing Intelligence

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

(WAIS)
most widely used intelligence test
subtests
verbal
performance (nonverbal)
Assessing Intelligence:
Sample Items from the WAIS

VERBAL PERFORMANCE
General Information Picture Completion
Similarities Picture Arrangement
Arithmetic Reasoning Block Design
Vocabulary Object Assembly
Comprehension Digit-Symbol Substitution
Digit Span

From Thorndike and Hagen, 1977

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
The Normal Curve
Getting Smarter?
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
10
Football Greater correlation
linemens 9 over broad range
of body weights
As the range
success 8
of data under
7
6 consideration
5 narrows, its
4 Little corre-
lation within predictive
3
power
restricted
2 range

1 diminishes
0

180 250 290

Body weight in pounds
The Dynamics 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 ones genetic makeup
The Dynamics of
Intelligence
Genetic Influences

The most
genetically
similar
people
have the
most
similar
scores
Genetic Influences

Heritability
the proportion of variation among
individuals that we can attribute to
genes
variability depends on range of
populations and environments
studied
Genetic Influences
Environmental
Influences
The Schooling Effect
Group Differences
Group differences and environmental
impact Variation within group

Variation within group

Seeds

Poor soil Fertile soil

Difference within group

 Group Differences
The Mental Rotation Test

Which two of the other circles contain a configuration of blocks

identical to the one in the circle at the left?

Standard Responses
Group Differences

Stereotype Threat
A self-confirming concern that
one will be evaluated based on
a negative stereotype