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Intelligence Module 25

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Thinking, Language, & Intelligence Overview

Intelligence What Is Intelligence?

Theories of Intelligence

Assessing Intelligence

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores

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• Intelligence is what you use when you don't know what to do.

Jean Piaget

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What is Intelligence?

Intelligence (in all cultures) is the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and

use our knowledge to adapt to new situations.

In research studies, intelligence is whatever the intelligence test measures.

This tends to be “school smarts.”

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General Intelligence

Spearman proposed that general intelligence (g) is linked to many clusters that can be analyzed by factor analysis.

For example, people who do well on vocabulary examinations do well on

paragraph comprehension examinations, a cluster that helps define verbal intelligence. Other factors include a spatial ability factor,

and a reasoning ability factor.

Link Battle of the Brains 49:23

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Contemporary Intelligence Theories

Howard Gardner (1983, 1999) supports the idea that intelligence comes in multiple independent

forms.

Gardner notes that brain damage may diminish one type of ability but not others.

People with savant syndrome excel in abilitiesunrelated to general intelligence.

Sacks Defines Savant

Derek Paravicini 14:21

Kim Peak vid

Kim Peek

…when Peek's father told him to lower his voice once in a restaurant, Peek slid down in his chair, bringing his larynx closer to the ground.

…had an IQ of 87

-Sam Kean

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Howard Gardner

Gardner proposes eight types of intelligences

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Triarchic Theory

Sternberg agrees with Gardner, but suggests three intelligences rather than eight.

1. Analytical Intelligence: Intelligence that is assessed by intelligence tests.

2. Creative Intelligence: Intelligence that makes us adapt to novel situations, generating novel ideas.

3. Practical Intelligence: Intelligence that is required for everyday tasks (e.g. street smarts).

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Intelligence and Creativity

Creativity is the ability to produce ideas that are both novel and valuable. It correlates

somewhat with intelligence.

1. Expertise: A well-developed knowledge base.2. Imaginative Thinking: The ability to see things in

novel ways, recognize patterns and make connections.

3. A Venturesome Personality: A personality that seeks new experiences rather than following the pack.

4. Intrinsic Motivation: A motivation to be creative from within, must enjoy challenges.

5. A Creative Environment: A creative and supportive environment allows creativity to bloom.Creativity on TED

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Emotional Intelligence: Components

Component Description

Perceive emotionRecognize emotions in faces,

music and stories

Understand emotionPredict emotions, how they

change and blend

Manage emotionExpress emotions in different

situations

Use emotionUtilize emotions to adapt or be

creative

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Emotional Intelligence: Criticism

Gardner and others criticize the idea of emotional intelligence and question whether

we stretch this idea of intelligence too far when we apply it to our emotions.

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Assessing Intelligence

Intelligence test: a method for

assessing an individual’s mental

aptitudes and comparing them with others using numerical scores.

Link Testing and Intel AM 27:08

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Alfred Binet

Alfred Binet practiced a modern form of

intelligence testing by developing questions

that would predict children’s future

progress in the Paris school system.

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Lewis Terman

In the US, Lewis Terman adapted Binet’s

test for American school children and named the test the

Stanford-Binet Test.

The following is the formula of Intelligence

Quotient (IQ)

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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.

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David Wechsler

Wechsler developed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

(WAIS) and later the Wechsler Intelligence

Scale for Children (WISC), an

intelligence test for school-aged children.

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WAISWAIS measures overall intelligence and other

aspects related to intelligence that are designed to assess clinical and educational problems.

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Principles of Test Construction

For a psychological test to be acceptable it must fulfill the following three criteria:

1. Standardization2. Reliability3. Validity

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Standardization

Standardizing a test involves administering the test to a representative sample of future test takers in order to establish a basis for

meaningful comparison.

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Normal Curve

Standardized tests establish a normal distribution of scores on a tested population in a bell-shaped pattern called the normal curve.

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Approximate Distribution of IQ Scores in the Population

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70 85 115 130 14555 100

34.13%34.13%

2.14% 2.14%

13.59%13.59%

Attorney

MechanicFactory worker

Chemist

Sales manager

Secretary

Accountant

Sales

Machinist

Range of intelligence scores of the

middle half of applicants for

various occupations

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Reliability

A test is reliable when it yields consistent results. To establish reliability researchers

establish different procedures:

1. Split-half Reliability: Dividing the test into two equal halves and assessing how consistent the scores are.

2. Test-Retest Reliability: Using the same test on two occasions to measure consistency.

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Validity

Reliability of a test does not ensure validity. Validity of a test refers to what the test is

supposed to measure or predict.

1. Content Validity: Refers to the extent a test measures a particular behavior or trait.

2. Predictive Validity: Refers to the function of a test in predicting a particular behavior or trait.

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Stability or Change?

Intelligence scores become stable after about seven years of age.

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Extremes of Intelligence

A valid intelligence test divides two groups of people into two extremes: the mentally retarded (IQ 70) and individuals with high

intelligence (IQ 130). These two groups are significantly different.

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Aging and Intelligence

Fluid intelligence: ability to reason speedily, declines with age

Crystalline intelligence: accumulated knowledge and skills, increases.

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High IntelligenceContrary to popular belief, people with high

intelligence test scores tend to be healthy, well adjusted, and unusually successful academically.

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Mental Retardation

Mentally retarded individuals required constant supervision a few decades ago, but with a supportive family environment and special

education they can now care for themselves.

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Flynn Effect

In the past 60 years, intelligence scores have risen steadily by an average of 27 points. This

phenomenon is known as the… Flynn effect.

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Genetic InfluencesStudies of twins, family members, and adopted

children together support the idea that there is a significant genetic contribution to intelligence.

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Adoption StudiesAdopted children show a marginal correlation

in verbal ability to their adopted parents.

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Heritability

The variation in intelligence test scores attributable to genetics.

We credit heredity with 50% of the variation in intelligence.

It pertains only to why people differ from one another, not to the

individual.Link What makes a Genius 58.55

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Environmental Influences

Studies of twins and adopted children also show the following:

1. Fraternal twins raised together tend to show similarity in intelligence scores.

2. Identical twins raised apart show slightly less similarity in their intelligence scores.

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Early Intervention Effects

Early neglect from caregivers leads children to develop a lack of personal control over the

environment, and it impoverishes their intelligence.

Romanian orphans with minimalhuman interaction are delayed in their development.

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Schooling EffectsSchooling is an experience that pays dividends,

which is reflected in intelligence scores. Increased schooling correlates with higher intelligence scores.

To increase readiness for schoolwork,projects like Head Start facilitate leaning.

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Ethnic Similarities and Differences

1. Racial groups differ in their average intelligence scores.

2. High-scoring people (and groups) are more likely to attain high levels of education and income.

To discuss this issue we begin with two disturbing but agreed upon facts:

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IQ and Expectations

• Teachers expectations affect student performance.

• Teachers given IQ scores rated not gifted students as less curious and less interested, this was reflected in grades too.

• Second test, kids labeled as gifted had an increase of at least 10 pts.

• 20% of gifted group gained 30 pts.

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Environmental Effects

Differences in intelligence among these groups are largely environmental, as if one

environment is more fertile in developing these abilities than the other. Delayed gratification Link 2:54, Link 6:02

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Gender Similarities and Differences

There are seven ways in which males and females differ in various abilities.

1. Girls are better spellers

2. Girls are more verbally fluent and are better at remembering words

3. Girls are better at nonverbal memory

4. Girls are more sensitive to touch, taste, and odor

5. Boys outnumber girls in counts of underachievement

6. Boys outperform girls at math problem solving & spatial ability tests

7. Women detect emotions more easily than men do

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The Question of Bias

Aptitude tests are necessarily biased in the sense that they are sensitive to performance differences caused by cultural differences.

However, aptitude tests are not biased in the sense that they accurately predict

performance of one group over the other.

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Test-Takers’ ExpectationsA stereotype threat is a self-confirming

concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype.

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End

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Tacit Intelligence• Everyday intelligence not taught in school• General intelligence tests are limited

– Predicts success in school, complex occupations– Cannot predict tacit intelligence– Persons with low or limited general intelligence

rarely have high tacit intelligence– Persons with high general intelligence – more likely

to have good practical knowledge across many areas

Cognition, Language, and Intelligence

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Birth Order, Family Size, and Intelligence

The study of Rodgers et al. (2000):

Contributor © POSbase 2008

In popular culture, birth order was believed to influence

intelligence. Indeed, many studies found that birth order

influenced intelligence: The older the child, the more

intelligent.

However, most of those studies had a vital flaw (see also

Ernst & Angst, 1983): Data were cross-sectional. They

often assessed soldiers‘ birth order and intelligence.

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Birth Order, Family Size, and Intelligence

© POSbase 2008

Therefore, birth order was not analysed within-family, but

between different families.

This could lead to apparent birth-order effects that are not

real if increasing sibship size decreases intelligence. This

has to do with the fact that the youngest in a two-child

family can not be a single child; the youngest of three

children family can not be from a two-child family, etc.

Look at the example in the next slide:

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Birth Order, Family Size, and Intelligence

© POSbase 2008

Birth Order: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Average IQNumber of Siblings:__________________________________________________________________1 104 1042 102 102 1023 100 100 100 1004 98 98 98 98 985 96 96 96 96 96 96__________________________________________________________________Average IQ: 100 99 98 97 96__________________________________________________________________

The more siblings, the lower is the

intelligence of each child

However, each sibling within a family has

the same intelligence.

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Birth Order: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Average IQNumber of Siblings:__________________________________________________________________1 104 1042 102 102 1023 100 100 100 1004 98 98 98 98 985 96 96 96 96 96 96__________________________________________________________________Average IQ: 100 99 98 97 96__________________________________________________________________

Birth Order, Family Size, and Intelligence

© POSbase 2008

Although there is no difference between siblings within the family, average IQ for increasing birth order

decreases because older children weigh more in calculating the average.

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Birth Order, Family Size, and Intelligence

© POSbase 2008

Therefore, it is necessary to have longitudinal data.

That is why the authors analyzed data from a large,

national longitudinal sample where they could compare

intelligence of siblings within family.

Indeed, the found the pattern presented in the last slides:

There were significant effects of family size, but no

effects of birth order.

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Birth Order, Family Size, and Intelligence

© POSbase 2008

The authors concluded that this means that large families

do not result in less intelligent children, as some studies

suggest, but less intelligent parents make larger families.

If this were not the case, we would see a birth order effect

because the first child some time lives in a smaller family

and should be more intelligent if family size affected

intelligence. However, this was not the case.

Most importantly, they found a correlation between the IQ

of the mothers and family size.

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Birth Order, Family Size, and Intelligence

© POSbase 2008

These results have to be taken with some caution:

The Parental IQ – Family Size correlation is not

necessarily a biological phenomenon. It could just

be fashionable in certain circles to have fewer

children. If fashion in those same circles

prescribed more children, the effect could turn; but

this is an open question.