Unit XI: Testing & Individual Differences

Module 62

The Dynamics of Intelligence

Stability of Intelligence Scores 62-1

Stability Over the Life Span

• Before age 3 intelligence tests are not good predictors of future aptitudes

• By age 4 scores begin to predict adolescent and adult scores

• By age 7 scores become fairly stable and consistent

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Aging and Intelligence

• Crystalized intelligence, our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills, increases up to old age

• Fluid intelligence, our ability to reason speedily and abstractly, tends to decrease during adulthood (slowly at first, more rapidly in late adulthood)

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Extremes of Intelligence 62-2

The Low Extreme

• Individuals with an intellectual disability have both a low IQ score (70 or below) and difficulty adapting to the normal demands of independent living

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Intellectual Disability 62-2

Intellectual Disability

• Down syndrome is a condition of mild to severe intellectual disability caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21

• Individuals with mild intellectual disabilities required constant supervision a few decades ago, but with a supportive family environment and special education many can now care for themselves.

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Rosa’s Law

Passed in 2010, the law removed the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from federal health, education and labor policy and replaced them with

“individual with an intellectual disability” and “intellectual disability.”

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The High Extreme

• Individuals with an IQ score above 135

• Many schools provide “talented and gifted” education programs for academic enrichment

• Critics argue these programs create a self-fulfilling prophecy for both gifted and “un-gifted” children

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MENSA

“Membership of Mensa is open to persons who have attained a score within the upper two percent of the general population on an approved intelligence test that has been properly administered and supervised.”

www.mensa.org

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