The Nature of Intelligence Intelligence Ability to learn

The Nature of Intelligence

Intelligence • Ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to a new situation • Is intelligence one thing or are there multiple intelligences?

Charles Spearman (1863 -1945) • Theorized that a general intelligence factor (g) underlies other, more specific aspects of intelligence

General Intelligence (g) vs. Specific Intelligence (s) • Factor that Spearman believed underlies specific mental abilities

Louis Thurstone (1887 -1955) • American engineer who developed a theory of “Primary Mental Abilities. ”

Primary Mental Abilities 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Verbal Comprehension (“verbal meaning” in the old books) Word Fluency Number facility (“numerical ability” in the old books) Spatial visualization (“visual & spatial ability” in the old books) Associative memory (“memory” in the old books) Perceptual speed Reasoning (split into deductive & inductive reasoning in the old books)

Howard Gardner (1943 - ) • Author of a contemporary theory of multiple intelligences consisting of eight separate kinds of intelligence

Gardner’s Criteria 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Potential isolation by brain damage Existence of savants, prodigies, etc. An identifiable core set of operations A distinctive developmental history, along with a definite set of “end-state” performances An evolutionary history and evolutionary plausibility Support from experimental and psychological tasks Support from psychometric findings Susceptibility to encoding from a symbol system

Gardner’s Types of Intelligence

Bottom Line on MI • Remember, everyone has ALL the intelligences • The intelligences are not mutually exclusive - they act in consort. • MI Theory was not developed to exclude individuals, but to allow all people to contribute to society through their own strengths! -Walter Mc. Kenzie

Robert Sternberg (1949 - ) • Author of a contemporary theory of multiple intelligences consisting of: • analytic, • creative, and • practical intelligence

Sternberg’s Types of Intelligence

Daniel Goleman (1946 - ) • Theory of emotional intelligence • Developed the argument that noncognitive skills can matter as much as I. Q. for workplace success

Emotional Intelligence • Ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions • People high in emotional intelligence are more in touch with their feelings and the feelings of others.

5 Factors of Emotional Intelligence 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Self-Awareness Mood management Self-motivation Impulse control People skills

Alfred Binet (1857 -1911) • Developer of the first test to classify children’s abilities using the concept of mental age • Assumed children’s intellectual abilities grew every year

Mental Age • Chronological age that corresponds to the difficulty of the questions a child can answer • An average 8 -year-old child should have the mental age of 8 years. • (Chronological age is the actual age of a person. )

Lewis Terman (1877 -1956) • Adapted Binet’s tests for use in the United States • The test reported intelligence as a calculated IQ score • Called the Stanford. Binet Intelligence Test

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) • Number that results from dividing mental age by chronological age and multiplying by 100 • IQ = (MA/CA) X 100 • A score of 100 would be considered average • Formula has been replaced with modern versions

David Wechsler (1896 -1981) • Developed the Wechsler intelligence scales which included: • Different tests for different age groups • Separate verbal and nonverbal scores • Subtests and subtest scores

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test

Group Intelligence Test • Originally designed for the army in World War I • Can be given to large numbers of people • Those supervising the test do not need extensive training • Are very easy to score • Not the most reliable

Achievement Tests • Tests that attempt to measure what the test-taker has accomplished • i. e. classroom tests at the end of a unit

Aptitude Tests • Tests that attempt to predict the testtaker’s future performance • Examples: ACT and SAT

Test Reliability • Extent to which a test yields consistent results

Types of Reliability • Test-retest reliability - taking the same test and receiving a similar score • Split-half - the score on one half of a test’s questions is similar to the score on the other half • Scorer reliability – the score of the test should be similar no matter which scorer is scoring the test

Test Validity • Extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is suppose to • Does an achievement test accurately measure accomplishments? • Does an aptitude test accurately measure the person’s future performance? • One needs to know the purpose of the test

Group Differences in Testing • A number of studies show scoring differences between different racial, ethnic, and gender groups. • Are these differences due to nature or to nurture? Studies suggest environment is playing a heavy role. • Heredity and environment interact to produce intelligence in individuals.

Group Similarities in Testing