Overview of the psychology, history, and application of intelligence and intelligence testing.

1. Psychology 102: Intelligence & Intelligence Assessment Dr James Neill Centre for Applied Psychology University of Canberra 2009

2. Reading Gerrig et al. (Chapter 9): Intelligence and Intelligence Assessment

4. History of intelligence testing

5. Features of good or bad tests (psychometrics)

7. What is intelligence?

8. What is cognition? The process and content of “knowing”, including thinking, remembering, and communicating.

9. Cognitive Psychology

10. Intelligence as an “individual difference” Intelligence and personality are the most ubiquitous individual differences (e.g., commonly measured) Individual differences = stable human psychological characteristics which vary between people

11. Abstract thinking ability (Terman, 1921) Capacity for knowledge and knowledge possessed (Henmon, 1921) Capacity to learn from experience (Dearborn, 1921) Many definitions of intelligence

12. "The capacity to acquire capacity." (Woodrow, 1921) Ability to adapt to the environment. (Colvin, cited in Sternberg, 1982) “ a general factor that runs through all types of performance." (Jensen) Many definitions of intelligence

13. "A global concept that involves an individual's ability to act purposefully, think rationally, and deal effectively with the environment." (Wechsler, 1958) Many definitions of intelligence

14. "ability to solve problems, or to create products, that are valued within one or more cultural settings ( Gardner, 1983/2003, p. x)" Many definitions of intelligence

15. " The global capacity to profit from experience and to go beyond given information about the environment” (Gerrig et al., 2008) Many definitions of intelligence

16. History of intelligence assessment

18. Differences form a normal distribution

19. Measured by objective tests

20. Statistically determined by correlations Galton’s ideas of intelligence

25. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) The origins of intelligence testing

26. 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. Alfred Binet

28. Terman used Stern’s formula for Intelligence Quotient (IQ): Assessing intelligence: Lewis Terman

30. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test

33. Interpreting scores: The normal curve

34. Intelligence scores become stable after about seven years of age. In numerous studies, stability of intelligence scores have been determined (Angoff, 1988; Deary et al., 2004). Stability or Change?

35. Recent studies indicate some correlation (~ .40) between brain size and intelligence. As brain size decreases with age, scores on verbal intelligence tests also decrease. Is intelligence neurologically measurable?

36. Features of Formal Assessment of Intelligence

38. Referred to as the ‘measurement of individual difference' Psychological assessment: What is it?

41. Validity

42. Standardisation Features of formal assessment

44. Measured over time and space Concept of reliability

48. Face validity: Surface content matches

49. Criterion/Predictive Validity: A standard e.g. your uni entry score

50. Construct Validity: Measures the construct (e.g., depression)

53. Extremes of intelligence?

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

55. 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 135). These two groups are significantly different.

57. IQ of below 70 to 75

59. Intellectual disability

60. Intellectually disabled people required constant supervision a few decades ago, but with a supportive family environment and special education they are more able to care for themselves. Intellectual disability

62. Creativity

63. Task commitment Intellectual giftedness

64. Contrary to popular belief, people with high intelligence test scores tend to be healthy, well adjusted, and unusually successful academically. High intelligence

65. Theories of intelligence

67. Statistical relationships (factor analysis)

69. Spearman proposed that general intelligence (g) is linked to many clusters that can be analyzed by factor analysis. e.g., 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, or a reasoning ability factor. General Intelligence

71. Verbal Comprehension

72. Spatial Ability

73. Perceptual Speed

74. Numerical Ability

75. Inductive Reasoning

76. Memory

78. Product

79. Operation Guilford's structure of the intellect

80. Wechsler developed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and later the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), an intelligence test for preschoolers. David Wechsler

81. WAIS measures overall intelligence and 11 related aspects to assess clinical and educational problems. David Wechsler

84. Gardner noted that brain damage may diminish one type of ability but not others e.g., savants. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

86. Logical-mathematical, linguistic, naturalist, musical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal (emotional) Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

87. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

88. Theories of intelligence

90. What does intelligence influence?

91. 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.

92. 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. Aptitude and achievement tests

93. What influences intelligence?

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

95. Schooling is an experience that pays dividends, which is reflected in intelligence scores. Increased schooling correlates with higher intelligence scores. Schooling effects

96. 5 minute break – have a stretch

97. Intelligence: Issues and Controversies

99. With modern neuroscience techniques, can we locate and measure intelligence within the brain? Controversies about intelligence

104. Studies of twins, family members, and adopted children together support the idea that there is a significant genetic contribution to intelligence. The politics of intelligence

106. High-scoring people (and groups) are more likely to attain high levels of education and income. Group differences in IQ scores

107. If we look at racial differences, white Americans score higher in average intelligence than black Americans (Avery et al., 1994). European New Zealanders score higher than native New Zealanders (Braden, 1994). Group differences in IQ scores White-Americans Black-Americans Average IQ = 100 Average IQ = 85

108. Differences in intelligence among these groups are largely environmental, as if one environment is more fertile in developing these abilities than another. Environmental effects

109. Adoption studies Adopted children show a marginal correlation in verbal ability to their adopted parents.

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

112. Adoption studies 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.

115. Utility of tests for evaluating education

116. Implications of using test scores to categorise people Assessment and society

117. Intelligence and Creativity

120. Expertise: A well-developed knowledge base.

121. Imaginative Thinking: The ability to see things in novel ways.

122. Adventuresome Personality: Seeks new experiences rather than following the pack.

123. Intrinsic Motivation: A motivation to be creative from within.

124. A Creative Environment: A creative and supportive environment allows creativity to bloom.