Our Understanding of the Construct of Intelligence Notes

The Evolution of Intelligence Testing and Our Understanding of the Construct of Intelligence Origins of Modern Intelligence Testing The first modern psychological tests were invented by Sir Francis Galton in the later part of the 19th century. He concluded that success runs in families because great intelligence is passed through genetic inheritance. He coined the phrase nature versus nurture. He also invented the concepts of correlation and percentile test scores. The breakthrough for the measurement of mental ability came in 1904, by Alfred Binet, who devised a test to identify mentally subnormal children. The Binet-Simon scale expressed a child's score in terms of "mental level" or "mental age" Mental age: displaying the mental ability typical of a person/child of that age. Next breakthrough: Intelligence Quotient. Stanford-Binet Intelligence scale. Intelligence Quotient (IQ): a child's mental age divided by chronological age, multiplied by 100. o It reminds one of the world's most widely used psychological tests. The Debate about the Structure of Intelligence Factor analysis: correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify closely related clusters of variables. Explained: if a number of variables correlate highly with one another, the assumption is that a single factor if influencing all of them, and factor analysis attempts to identify these factors. All cognitive abilities share an important core factor. This factor was labelled g for general mental ability. (Spearman) L.L Thurstone developed a test that evolved into the SAT test, concluding that intelligence involves multiple abilities. He carved intelligence into seven independent factors called primary mental abilities: Word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning, and memory. In the 1980s, the development of IQ tests moved from a focus on a single indicator of IQ to multiple indicators. Fluid intelligence: reasoning ability, memory capacity, and speed of information processing. Crystallized intelligence: ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills in problem solving. Contemporary IQ tests generally are based on a hierarchical model of intelligence, which subdivides g into a number of specific abilities. IQ tests vary depending on whether the test is intended for children, adults, individuals, or groups. The Wechsler scales are among the most widely used IQ tests (3 of then). Broadening the Concept of Intelligence Exploring Biological correlates of intelligence o Larger brains are associated with greater intelligence (the association is modest). It is possible that developing greater intelligence promotes larger brain size (not necessarily hereditary) Smarter people tend to be healthier and live longer lives than others (IQ scores measured in childhood correlate with physical health and longevity decades later) One possibility: good genes foster both higher intelligence and resilient health Second possibility: smarter people may be more likely to avoid health-damaging habits, be proactive about health, and use medical care more effectively. Third possibility: intelligence fosters educational/career success, which means higher classes, less-stressful jobs, healthier environments, better health care/insurance, etc. Investigating Cognitive Processes in Intelligent Behaviour Testing perspective: emphasizes measuring the amount of intelligence people have, and why some have more than others. Cognitive perspective: focuses on how people use their intelligence. Three aspects/facets of intelligence: Analytical intelligence: abstract reasoning, evaluation, and judgment. Crucial to schoolwork, assessed by IQ tests. Creative intelligence: ability to generate new ideas and to be inventive. Practical intelligence: ability to deal effectively with the kinds of problems people encounter in everyday life (jobs or home). Successful intelligence is the ability to harness all three aspects and taking advantage of strengths and compensating for weakness All three facets can be measured, they are independent/uncorrelated, and their assessment can improve the prediction of intelligent behaviour in the real world. Multiple Intelligences o IQ tests are too narrow, and tests should assess intelligence in a more general sense via a wider range of tasks. Gardner's Eight human intelligences: logical-mathematical, linguistic, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, inter-personal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. Some argue his intelligence is so broad that it encompasses virtually any valued humanity ability, making the term meaningless. Measuring Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence: the ability to perceive and express emotion, to understand, reason and regulate it. Four components: o Accurate perceive emotions in themselves and others Be aware of how their emotions shape their thinking, decision making, and stress coping Understanding and analyzing emotions Regulating their emotions Criticisms: should emotion be viewed as a form of intelligence? The definitions of emotional intelligence vary and are fuzzy. Basic Issues in Intelligence Testing What do modern IQ scores mean? Normal distribution: symmetric, bell-shaped curve that represents the pattern in which many characteristics are dispersed in the population. When a trait is normally distributed, most cases fall near the centre of distribution (top of the bell, an average score). Deviation IQ scores: locate participants precisely within the normal distribution, using the standard deviation as the unit of measurement. (standard deviation, DS, is 15) Modern IQ scores indicate exactly where you fall in the normal distribution of intelligence. Percentile score: the percentage of people who score at or below the score one has obtained. Do Intelligence Tests have Adequate Reliability? Yes. However, like other tests, they sample behaviour, and a specific testing may yield an unrepresentative score. Low motivation and high anxiety can produce misleading scores. Do Intelligence Tests have Adequate Validity? Yes. The continued principal purpose of IQ tests is to predict school performances, and there are positive correlations between IQ scores and school grades.