Intelligence

What makes us intelligent

Or
Not so intelligent
 Intelligence
• The ability to learn
from experience,
solve problems, and
use knowledge to
adapt to new
situations.
• Is socially
constructed thus…
Can be culturally
specific. According to this
definition, are both
Einstein and Ruth
intelligent?
 Is intelligence one thing or
several different abilities?
• To find out scientists
use FACTOR
ANALYSIS:
A statistical procedure
that identifies clusters
of related items on a
test.
• Charles Spearman used
FA to discovery his g or
He saw using FA that doing well in
(general intelligence).
one area of a test predicted that you
will do well in another.
Multiple Intelligences
• Howard Gardner disagreed
with Spearman’s g and
instead came up with the
concept of multiple
intelligences.
• He came up with the idea
by studying savants (a
condition where a person
has limited mental ability
but is exceptional in one
area).
 Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
• Visual/Spatial
• Verbal/Linguistic
• Logical/Mathematical
• Bodily/Kinesthetic
• Musical/Rhythmic
• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal
• Naturalistic
Learn More about Gardner
 Sternberg’s Three Aspects of
Intelligence
Gardner Simplified
• Analytical (academic
problem solving).
• Creative (generating
novel ideas)
• Practical (required
for everyday tasks
where multiple
solutions exist).
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
• First called social
intelligence.
• The ability to
perceive, express,
understand, and
regulate emotions.
• Some studies show
EQ to be a greater
predictor for future
success than IQ
 How do we Assess Intelligence?
• Alfred Binet and Theodore
Simon set out to figure out a
concept called a mental age
(what a person of a particular
age should know).
• They discovered that by
discovering someone’s mental
age they can predict future
performance.
• Hoped they could use test to
help children, not label them.
 Terman and his IQ Test
• An 8 year old has a • Used Binet’s research
mental age of 10, what
to construct the
is her IQ?
modern day IQ test
called the Stanford-
• A 12 year old has the
mental age of 9, what is Binet Test.
his IQ?

• A boy has the mental • IQ=Mental

age of 10 and an IQ of
200, how old is he?
age/Chronological age
X 100.
 Problems with the IQ Formula
• It does not really work well on adults, why?

If a 60 year old man

does as well as an average 30 year old

then his IQ would be 50!!!!!!

That makes no sense!!!!!
Modern Tests of Mental Abilities
• Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale
(WAIS) consists of
11 subtests and cues
us in to strengths by
using…..

Factor Analysis
 Aptitude v. Achievement Tests
Aptitude Achievement
• A test designed to • A test designed to
predict a person’s assess what a person
future performance. has learned.
• The ability for that
person to learn.
How do we construct Intelligence
tests?

Tests must be:

• Standardized
• Reliable
• Valid
 Standardization
• The test must be pre-tested to a
representative sample of people and
• Form a normal distribution or bell curve
 Reliability
• The extent which
a test yields
consistent results
over time.
• Spilt halves or
test–retest
method.
 Validity
The extent to which a test measures what
it is supposed to measure.
• Content Validity: does the test sample
a behavior of interest

• Predictive Validity: does the test

predict future behavior.
Criterion related validity
 Does Intelligence Change Over
Time?
• By age 3, a child’s
IQ can predict
adolescent IQ
scores.
• Depends on the
type of intelligence,
crystallized or
fluid.
Extremes of Intelligence
Group Differences in Intelligence
Test Scores
• The Bell curve is different for Whites
v. Black.
• Math scores are different across
genders and the highest scores are for
Asian males.
Why?
Nature or Nurture