EXAM 4 STUDY GUIDE Chapter 9 Intelligence 1 Define intelligence and identify the different models of intelligence Spearman s g model theory of multiple intelligences triarchic model and the different types of intelligence fluid vs crystalized Intelligence is defined as the ability to learn from experience solve problems and use knowledge to adapt to new situations Spearman developed g general intelligence which is a hypothetical factor that accounts for the overall differences in intellect among people He also came up with s specific abilities that define particular ability levels in narrow domains The theory of multiple intelligences introduced the idea that people can vary in their ability levels across different domains of intellectual skill Stacy might be more musically intelligent than Gary but Gary is more spatially intelligent than Stacy Triarchic model was proposed by Sternberg and hypothesized three modes of intelligence Analytical the ability to reason logically Creative the ability to come up with effective and novel answers to Practical the ability to solve real world problems particularly those questions involving other people Fluid intelligence is the capacity to learn new ways of solving problems like solving a puzzle we ve never seen before Crystallized intelligence is our accumulated knowledge of the world acquired over time This is solid facts 2 What s the connection between intelligence and brain size efficiency Brain size and intelligence are moderately correlated in humans but there is some evidence that people with high levels of intelligence possess especially efficient brains This does not mean that small brains are not efficient so size may have little or nothing to do with intelligence There is an important role of the prefrontal cortex and the reaction times and working memory of the brain 3 How did scientists calculate IQ in the past How is it different today What formula do we use today Lewis Terman established a set of norms and baseline scores in the general population from which we can compare each individual s score Wilhelm Stern invented the formula for intelligence quota IQ Mental age divided by chronological age multiplied by 100 Modern researchers almost all rely on statistics called deviation IQ the expression of a person s IQ relative to his or her same aged peers 4 Describe the history of misuse of IQ tests e g sterilization In 1935 most U S states had implemented mandatory sterilization laws for those below a certain IQ This was in effort to keep good genes circulating in the population and to eliminate bad genes otherwise known as the eugenics movement 5 Describe tests of intelligence today and evaluate the reliability and validity of IQ scores What s an average IQ score When does IQ become stable Today the most commonly used IQ test for adults is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale WAIS which consists of 15 subtest that gives an overall IQ score composed of 4 indexes verbal comprehension perceptual reasoning working memory and processing speed We also have culture fair IQ tests consisting of abstract reasoning items that don t depend on language The reliability of IQ scores are reasonably stable in adulthood but not especially stable in fancy and early childhood because of the developing intelligence of infants and children The validity of IQ scores predict grades school performance job performance and physical health 6 What is the bell curve Relate this to intellectual disability and genius IQ follows a bell curve distribution for the general population with the majority of Americans falling within the normal range and very small percentages of the population fall above or below the normal range For intellectual disability IQ scores range from 60 65 and below It is characterized by childhood onset of low IQ and inability to engage in adequate daily function Intellectual disability is defined by both this inability and the low IQ not just one For genius IQ scores range from 145 and above encompassing the top 2 of the population Large portions of this 2 occupy certain professions like doctors lawyers engineers and professors 7 What does evidence from family studies and twin studies tell us about genetic influences on IQ How heritable is IQ Family twin and adoption studies show that IQ tends to run in the family Adopted children resemble biological parents on IQ showing that genes and DNA have a greater impact on intelligence than environment does Identical twins show concordance rates of 0 7 to 0 8 for intelligence with fraternal twins showing rates of 0 3 to 0 4 8 What are some potential environmental influences on IQ Be able to describe how poverty nutrition schooling etc affect IQ Is the influence of environment on IQ score greater in childhood or adulthood Social and economic deprivation can negatively affect IQ As children grew up in an intellectually deprived area their IQ steadily decreased over time Research suggests that prolonged malnutrition especially in childhood can lower IQ Children exposed to lead in their environments through drinking water breathing lead contaminated dust etc are known to have intellectual defects There is some debate about whether children who are breastfed have higher IQs than those that are bottle fed but we must note that most mothers who breastfeed are of higher social class than those that bottle feed 9 What are some similarities and differences in mental ability between men and women Most researchers have found few or no average sex differences in IQ However many studies suggest that men are more variable in their overall IQ scores than women meaning that there are more men in the higher and lower scores of the bell curve with women remaining relatively stable Women tend to be stronger in areas of intellect including verbal tasks like spelling writing and pronunciation Women also tend to be better at detecting and recognizing feelings in others especially in adulthood Men tend to be stronger in tasks that require spatial reasoning Men are also reportedly stronger in geography because it relies heavily on spatial ability Men also do better than women in mathematics tasks that involve complicated reasoning like deriving proofs in geometry We tend to think that men are better in math and science but when we encourage women to solve problems with spatial reasoning like men the gap becomes much smaller Therefore the assumed difference in abilities in these areas are often a produce of societal
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