Chapter 9 Intelligence Psychological Testing Principle Types of

Chapter 9 Intelligence & Psychological Testing

Principle Types of Tests • Standardized measure of a sample of a persons behavior • Represent a sample of your behavior A) Mental ability - intelligence: measures general mental abilities - Aptitude: assess specific types of mental abilities - Achievement: gauge a persons mastery and knowledge of various subjects B) Personality test - measure various aspects of personality - also called scales b/c there’s no right or wrong

Aptitude and Achievement Tests Aptitude tests are intended to predict your ability to learn a new skill and achievement tests are intended to reflect what you have already learned. 3

Standardization & Norms • Refers to the uniform procedures used in the administration and scoring of a test. • Test norms: illustrate where your score falls in comparison to other scores • Percentile score: indicates the percentage of people who score at or below the score one has obtained • Sample of people that the norms are based on is called a tests standardized group or norm group

The Normal Curve and Stanford-Binet IQ Scores IQs less than 70 = mental retardation. More than 130 = gifted

Flynn Effect

Reliability • Repeated measurements should yield reasoning similar results • Split-half Reliability: Dividing the test into two equal halves and assessing how consistent the scores are. • Reliability using different tests: Using different forms of the test to measure consistency between them. • Test-Retest Reliability: Using the same test on two occasions to measure consistency. • Should fall b/w. 70 -. 90 * Correlation coefficient: is a numerical index of the degree of relationship b/w two variables

Validity • Ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure A) Content validity: content of a test is representative of the domain its supposed to cover B) Criterion-related validity: estimate participants score w/ independent criterion C) Construct validity: the extent to which evidence shows that a test measures a particular hypothetical construct

Influential People • Francis Galton: believed intelligence was hereditary - measured intelligence by our senses • Alfred Binet: devised the first test to measure students mental abilities in 1905 - mental age: he or she displayed the mental ability of a child of that actual age • Lewis Terman and colleagues @ Stanford: IQ= Mental age/Chronological age X 100 • David Wechsler: published the first high-quality IQ test for adults in 1939 (WAIS: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale)

IQ exams Q&A 1. What kind of questions? - vary depending on the age of subjects - WAIS: recognize vocab, figure out patterns, and basic memory 2. What do modern IQ scores mean? - bell curve: normal distribution - deviation IQ cores: locate subjects precisely within the normal distribution, using standard deviation as the unit of measurement - IQ tests set SD @ 15

Bell Curve Standard Deviation 11

More Q & A 3. Do intelligence test have adequate reliability? - correlation in the. 90’s - the question of extraneous variables 4. Do intelligence tests have adequate validity? - purpose: to predict school performance - school grades & IQ scores. 4 -. 5 5. Do intelligence tests predict vocational success? 6. Are IQ tests used in other cultures? - do not translate well into non-western cultures - might value different mental skills & have a different concept of intelligence

Mental Retardation • Sub average mental abilities accompanied by deficiencies in adaptive skills, originating before age 18 • Cut off point has changed 4 times • Levels: 1. 2 -3% of school aged children 2. mild: 51 -70 sixth grade by late teens 3. moderate: 2 nd-4 th grade 4. Severe: limited speech toilet habits 5. Profound: little to no speech, not toilet trained; relatively unresponsive to training

Robert Stenberg • Conducts study surveying what people considered intelligent 1. Verbal - verbally fluent - speaks clearly - knowledgeable about a particular field - reads w/ high comprehension 2. Practical - sees all aspects of a problem - makes good decisions - poses problems in an optimal way 3. Social - accepts others for what they are - thinks before speaking - sensitive to other peoples needs & desires

Giftedness • most school districts consider children who fall in the upper 23% of the IQ distribution to be gifted • stereotyped as weak, sickly, socially awkward • Terman’s longitudinal study: breaking the stereotypes • Emily Winners study comparing gifted students falling from a 130 -150 and profoundly intelligent (150 -180)

Gifted Achievement • three ring conception of eminent giftedness - need these three in order to achieve new heights as adult • question of those who work hard being considered geniuses

Hereditary Influence on Intelligence • b/c those that share genes probably share environments we must look into twin & adoption studies • Twins - compare fraternal vs. identical - studies prove that intelligence is inherited • Adoptive studies - correlation w/ parent over. 20 • Foster Care - those who were raised in poverty did not advance intellectually as other kids - those that were switched from fosters homes in poverty increased their IQ scores by 10 -12 pts

Cultural Differences • Minority groups fall below whites by 3 -15 pts • If studies showed that genes dictates intelligence than are there races that are less intelligent? • Minorities are often raised in lower social classes • Lower class scores are below by 15 pts even when studying just whites

Spearman’s g theory • Factor analysis: correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify closely related clusters of variables • G= general ability - peoples special abilities are determined by their ability general • Thurstone – Carved mental abilities into seven factors = primary mental abilities ( word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning & memory) • g should be divided into - fluid intelligence: reasoning, memory, processing - crystalized intelligence: ability to apply skills in problem solving skills speed of info knowledge &