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Intelligence
Chapter 10
Psy 12000.
My Brilliant Brain
Chess Champion
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VlGGM5WYZo
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95eYyyg1g5s 2 3
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. This is the conceptual definition. In research studies, intelligence is whatever the intelligence test measures. This tends to be “school smarts” and it tends to be culture-specific. This is the operational definition. 4
Conceptual Difficulties
Psychologists believe that intelligence is a concept and not a thing. Unfortunately, it is treated like a thing…a real thing. When we think of intelligence as a trait (thing) we make an error called reification — viewing an abstract immaterial concept as if it were a concrete thing. 5
Controversies About Intelligence
Despite general agreement among psychologists about the nature of intelligence, at least three controversies remain: Is intelligence a single overall ability or is it several specific abilities? With modern neuroscience techniques, can we locate and measure intelligence within the brain? Do between group differences in IQ scores (and distributions around the mean for each group) reflect real group differences in intelligence or are they artifacts of the testing instrument and procedure? 6
Intelligence: Ability or Abilities?
Have you ever thought that because people’s mental abilities are so diverse, it may not be justifiable to label those abilities with only one word, intelligence? You may speculate that diverse abilities represent different kinds of intelligences. How can you test this idea?
7 General Intelligence The idea that general intelligence ( g ) exists comes from the work of Charles Spearman (1863-1945) who helped develop the factor analysis approach in statistics. 8 General Intelligence Spearman proposed that general intelligence (g) is linked to many clusters that can be analyzed by factor analysis. Spearman, using an earlier approach to factor analysis, found that scores on all mental tests (regardless of the domain or how it was tested) tend to load on one major factor. Spearman suggested that these disparate scores are fueled by a common metaphorical “pool” of mental energy. He named this pool the general factor, or g (Spearman, 1904). 9 General Intelligence L. L. Thurstone, a critic of Spearman, analyzed his subjects NOT on a single scale of general intelligence, but on seven clusters of primary mental abilities, including: Word Fluency Verbal Comprehension Spatial Ability Perceptual Speed Numerical Ability Inductive Reasoning Memory 10 General Intelligence Later psychologists re-analyzed Thurstone’s data and found a weak relationship between these clusters, suggesting some evidence of a g factor. 11 Contemporary Intelligence Theories Howard Gardner (1983, 1999) supports Thurstone’s idea that intelligence comes in multiple forms. Gardner notes that brain damage may diminish one type of ability but not others. People with savant syndrome excel in abilities unrelated to general intelligence. 12 Savants Brainman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKk96kOAnLg&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vs6R5YZQ3c On Letterman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXG-1YLGAS0&feature=related Daniel Tammet, “Brainman”
19 Is Intelligence Neurologically Measurable? Recent Studies indicate some correlation (about +.40) between brain size and intelligence. As brain size decreases with age, scores on verbal intelligence tests also decrease. Gray matter concentration in people with high intelligence. Get ready… 20 21 Long side on left or right? 22 Brain Function Studies of brain functions show that people who score high on intelligence tests perceive stimuli faster, retrieve information from memory quicker, and show faster brain response times. People with higher intelligence respond correctly and quickly to the above question. 23 Assessing Intelligence Psychologists define intelligence testing as a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with others using numerical scores. 24 Alfred Binet Alfred Binet and his colleague Théodore Simon practiced a more modern form of intelligence testing by developing questions that would predict children’s future progress in the Paris school system.
25 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), introduced by William Stern: 26 Aptitude and Achievement Tests Aptitude tests (most IQ tests) are intended to predict your ability to learn a new skill and achievement tests are intended to reflect what you have already learned. (scholastic^ SATs aptitude test) (Achievement test) 27 David Wechsler Wechsler developed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and later the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), an intelligence test for preschoolers. 28 WAIS WAIS measures overall intelligence and 11 other aspects related to intelligence that are designed to assess clinical and educational problems. 29 Principles of Test Construction For a psychological test to be acceptable (as a diagnostic tool) it must fulfill the following three criteria: Standardization Reliability Validity 30 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.
37 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. 38 High Intelligence Contrary to popular belief, people with high intelligence test scores tend to be healthy, well adjusted, and unusually successful academically. 39 Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence No other topic in psychology is so passionately followed as the one that asks the question, “Is intelligence due to genetics or environment?” 40 Genetic Influences Studies of twins, family members, and adopted children together support the idea that there is a significant genetic contribution to intelligence. 41 Adoption Studies Adopted children show only a marginal correlation in verbal ability to their adopted parents. 42 Environmental Influences Studies of twins and adopted children also show the following: Fraternal twins raised together tend to show similarity in intelligence scores. Identical twins raised apart show slightly less similarity in their intelligence scores.
43 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 minimal human interaction are delayed in their development. 44 Schooling Effects Schooling 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 learning. 45 Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores Why do groups differ in intelligence? How can we make sense of these differences? 46 Ethnic Similarities and Differences Racial groups differ in their average intelligence scores. 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: 47 Racial (Group) Differences If we look at racial differences, white Americans score higher in average intelligence than black Americans (Avery and others, 1994). European New Zealanders score higher than native New Zealanders (Braden, 1994). White-Americans Black-Americans Average IQ = 100 Average IQ = 85 Hispanic Americans (^48) Environmental Effects Differences in intelligence among these groups are largely environmental, as if one environment is more fertile in developing these abilities than another.
