INTELLIGENCE Topics to cover Introduction To Intelligence Intelligence

INTELLIGENCE

Topics to cover: Ø Introduction To Intelligence Ø Intelligence Theories Ø Intelligence Testing Ø Mental Retardation

What Do You Think Intelligence Is…. ? ? Is It The: Ability to think logically Ability to write and speak properly Ability to score good in university’s test Or is the behavior in social situations…. ? ?

Term “INTELLIGENCE” has been under great debate among the PSYCHOLOGISTS since the last two centuries…

Brief History Of Intelligence The concept of 'intelligence' is relatively new, unknown two centuries ago, though it comes from older Latin roots inter= between, within + legere =to bring together, gather, pick out, choose, catch up, catch with the eye, read; intellegere = to see into, perceive, understand Francis Galton revived the term in the late 19 th century, arguing for its innateness

Brief History Of Intelligence Some objected to the innateness bias, and suggested the term be replaced with 'general scholastic ability' or 'general educational ability' However, this did not catch on as most theorists today posit a construct of intelligence that is independent of education

Formal Definition : INTELLIGENCE is the overall capacity of an individual to Act purposefully To think rationally To deal effectively with the environment

Continue… A mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

e c n e g i l l e t n I f O s e i r o e h T

Intelligence ---One Ability or Many? Two types of schools of thought One factor from which other intelligences are derived Multiple Intelligences

Wechsler’s Theory He proposed that intelligence is more than simply mathematical or problem-solving ability; it is the broader ability to deal with the world. Later developed the most respectful and widely used intelligence test called Wechsler's Intelligence Scale.

Factor Theories Use FACTOR ANALYSIS (correlational) technique to explore what makes up intelligence. It tends to find a cluster of items that measure a common ability.

Factor Analysis a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify difference dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score.

Two types of factor theories Charles E. Spearman’s theory Louis L. Thurstone’s theory

Charles Spearman (1863 -1945) Theorized that intelligence consist of two parts: a general intelligence factor (g) underlies other, more specific aspects of intelligence And some specific factors (s) associated with particular tasks.

Factor g Vs Factor g Factor s • Measure entire mental ability • Specified to single activity • Capable of thinking about a lot of different things • Manages only one specific ability • All aspects of intelligence correlates with each other and are controlled by g • Shows how intelligent people are in one specific mental ability

Louis L. Thurston • Intelligence is a cluster of abilities. • Believed that there were 7 different “primary mental abilities” each independent from the other. • The g factor was just an overall average score of these independent abilities.

Thurston's 7 primary mental abilities Verbal comprehension Reasoning Perceptual speed Numerical ability Word fluency Associative memory Spatial visualization

Jenson’s Two level theory He proposed that different kinds of intellectual functioning are involved in intelligence i. e 1. Associative abilities 2. Cognitive abilities He claimed that both these abilities are inherited. His point is considered important in Nature Vs. Nurture controversy.

Associative abilities • Enable people to connect stimuli and events • Involve little reasoning • Examples to identify geometric shapes or to classify them in categories Cognitive abilities

Howard Gardner He defined intelligence as being “an ability to solve a problem or create a product that are valued within one’s culture. ”

Continue…. Proposed multiple types of intelligences Based his theory on biological bases Criticized IQ tests because they rely heavily on linguistic and logical-mathematical problems whereas other types of intelligences like athleticism, musical talent and social awareness were not included.

8 Types of Intelligence

Robert Sternberg’s theory Put forward Triarchic theory of intelligence Argues that IQ tests , SATs , MCAT don't predict future success Believes that psychologists should investigate not how much intelligence people have , but how they use it.

Three dimensions of triarchic theory • Analytic intelligence—mental processes used in learning how to solve problems • Creative intelligence—ability to deal with novel situations by drawing on existing skills and knowledge • Practical intelligence—ability to adapt to the environment (street smarts)

INTELLIGENCE TESTING

What is an intelligent test. . ? ? ? It measures general mental ability Types 1. Aptitude tests 2. Achievement tests

Developing an intelligent test Steps 1. Standardization and norms 2. Reliability 3. Validity

Standardization A process of developing uniform procedures for administering and scoring a test and for establishing norms.

Norms The scores and corresponding percentile ranks of a large and representative sample of individuals from the population for which a test was designed. Percentile score : indicates the percentage of people who score at or below the score one has obtained Example If your percentile score is 82 then 82% of those taking the test obtained a lower score than yours.

Reliability Ability of a test to yield very similar scores for the same individual over repeated testing.

Types Test-retest Alternative form method Split half method

Test-Retest reliability Test with low reliability Test with high reliability First testing Second testing Person 1 92 90 92 74 Person 2 87 89 87 96 Person 3 78 77 78 51

Factors affecting reliability Psychological conditions Physiological conditions Environmental conditions Load shedding. . ? ? ! Hot weather…? ? ! q Test is rarely perfectly reliable

Validity Ability of a test to measure what it is supposed to measure and to predict what it is supposed to predict.

Types Content Validity Predictive Validity Construct Validity

Intelligent Quotient (IQ) Firstly used by L. M. Terman of Stanford University An intelligence quotient is a child’s mental age / chronological age * 100 • IQ = Mental Age Chronological age x 100 IQ of 100 is considered average

Pros And Cons IQ Tests do a good job measuring: – Abstract thinking – Problem solving – Capacity to acquire knowledge IQ Tests however do not measure: – – Creativity Achievement motivation Goal-oriented behavior Ability to adapt to one’s environment

Important Intelligence Tests Stanford Binet Intelligent Scale Wechsler Scales

M l a t en d r a t e R n o ati

Mental Retardation Below average intellectual functioning, as measured on an IQ test, accompanied by substantial limitations in functioning that originate before age 18. New term “ Intellectual Disability”

Causes Genetic abnormalities Down’s Syndrome Infectious diseases HIV Infection Physical trauma Severe Head Injury Deprived environment Malnutrition

Levels of retardation Mild retardation Moderate retardation Severe retardation Profound retardation

Levels of Retardation Classification Wechsler’s IQ score %age of the mentally retarded Mild 56 -69 90 Moderate 40 -54 6 Severe Profound 25 -39 below 25 3 1

Mentally retarded ( 1 -3%) Moderate, severe and profound (10%) Total population of people with mental retardation Mild 90%

How to treat mentally retarded Educational programs for the special children should be closely similar to those for normal children. Training of such children should be started at early age Development of their social skills to help the person function normally as possible.