UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOLOGY 10TH EDITION
By Robert Feldman
Powerpoint slides by Kimberly Foreman
Revised for 10th Ed by Cathleen Hunt
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CHAPTER NINE:
INTELLIGENCE
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MODULE 26:
What Is Intelligence?
What are the different definitions and
conceptions of intelligence?
What are the major approaches to measuring
intelligence, and what do intelligence tests
measure?
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Definition of Intelligence
› Westerners view intelligence as the ability to establish categories and debate rationally.
In contrast,
› people in Eastern cultures and some African communities view intelligence more in terms of understanding and relating to one another
› The definition of intelligence that psychologists employ contains some of the same elements found in the layperson’s conception.
To psychologists, intelligence is
› the capacity to understand the world, think rationally, and use resources effectively when faced with challenges.
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Theories of Intelligence: Are There
Different Kinds of Intelligence?
“g” or “g-factor”
› This assumption was based on the fact that different types of measures of intelligence, whether they focused on, say, mathematical expertise, verbal competency, or spatial visualization skills, all ranked test-takers in roughly the same order. People who were good on one test generally were good on others; those who did poorly on one test tended to do poorly on others.
› Given that there was a correlation between performance on the different types of tests, the assumption was that there was a general, global intellectual ability underlying performance on the various measures—the g-factor.
› General factor for mental ability
› Was thought to underlie performance in every aspect of intelligence
› Recent theories view intelligence as a multidimensional concept
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Theories of Intelligence: Are There
Different Kinds of Intelligence?
Fluid Intelligence
› Reflects information-processing capabilities,
reasoning, and memory
Crystallized Intelligence
› Accumulation of information, skills, and strategies
that people learn through experience
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Theories of Intelligence: Are There
Different Kinds of Intelligence?
Gardner’s Multiple
Intelligences:
› Theory of multiple
intelligences
› Eight different forms of
intelligence
› Each individual has
every kind of intelligence
but in different degrees.
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Theories of Intelligence: Are There
Different Kinds of Intelligence?
Is Information Processing Intelligence?
› Information-processing approach
The Way people store material in memory and use
that material to solve intellectual tasks
Speed of processing
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Theories of Intelligence: Are There
Different Kinds of Intelligence?
Is Information Processing Intelligence?
› Information-processing approach e.g. research shows that people with high scores on tests of intelligence
spend more time on the initial encoding stages of problems, identifying the
parts of a problem and retrieving relevant information from long-term
memory,
than do people with lower scores.
This initial emphasis on recalling relevant information pays off in the end; those
who use this approach are more successful in finding solutions than are
those who spend relatively less time on the initial stages
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Theories of Intelligence: Are There
Different Kinds of Intelligence?
Is Information Processing Intelligence?
› Information-processing approach e.g. research shows that the speed with which people are able to receive
information from memory is related to verbal intelligence. In general, people
with high scores on measures of intelligence react more quickly on a variety
of information processing tasks ranging from reactions to flashing lights to
distinguishing between letters.
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The Biological Basis of
Intelligence
Lateral Prefrontal
Cortex
Higher intelligence is
related to the thickness
of the cerebral cortex
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Practical Intelligence and Emotional
Intelligence
Practical Intelligence
› Related to overall success in living
Emotional Intelligence
› Set of skills that underlie the accurate
assessment, evaluation, expression, and
regulation of emotions
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Practical Intelligence and Emotional
Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence
› Set of skills that underlie the accurate
assessment, evaluation, expression, and
regulation of emotions
(self-awareness, and social skills)
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Major Approaches to Intelligence
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Assessing Intelligence
Intelligence Tests
› Quantify and measure intelligence in an objective
manner
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Assessing Intelligence
Binet and the Development of IQ Tests
› Mental age (MA): The age for which a given level
of performance is average or typical.
› Chronological age (CA)
› Intelligence quotient (IQ)
› Deviation IQ scores
› Bell-shaped distribution
› IQ score = MA x 100
CA 20
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Assessing Intelligence
Contemporary IQ Tests: Gauging Intelligence
› Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
› Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV)
WISC-IV is for children
› WAIS and WISC measure:
Verbal comprehension
Perceptual reasoning
Working memory
Processing speed 22
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Assessing Intelligence
Reliability and Validity
› Reliability
Tests measure consistently what they are trying to measure
› Validity
Tests actually measure what they are supposed to measure
› Norms
Standards of test performance that permit the comparison of one person’s score on a test to scores of others Standardized tests
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Assessing Intelligence
Adaptive Testing
› Using Computers to Assess Performance
Adaptive in the sense that the computer
individualizes the test to the test-taker
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Scoring Better on Standardized
Tests
Learn as much as you can about the test before you take it
Practice
If the test is administered on a computer, take practice tests on a computer
Time yourself carefully
Be aware of the scoring policy
If it is a paper-and-pencil test, complete answer sheets accurately 27
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MODULE 27:
Variations in Intellectual Ability
How can the extremes of intelligence be
characterized?
How can we help people reach their full
potential?
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Mental Retardation
(Intellectual Disabilities)
Disability characterized by significant
limitations both in intellectual functioning and
in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive
skills
› Mild = IQ of 55 to 69
› Moderate =IQ of 40 to 54
› Severe = IQ of 25 to 39
› Profound = IQ below 25
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Mental Retardation
Identifying the Roots of Mental Retardation
› Fetal alcohol syndrome
Caused by a mother’s use of alcohol while
pregnant
› Down syndrome
A person is born with 47 chromosomes instead of
the usual 46
› Familial retardation
No apparent biological defect exists but there is a
history of retardation in the family30
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Mental Retardation
Integrating Individuals with Mental
Retardation
› Education for All Handicapped Children Act of
1975 (Public Law 94-142)
Least restrictive environment
Mainstreaming
Full inclusion
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The Intellectually Gifted
Have IQ scores greater than 130
Programs for the gifted are designed to
provide enrichment that allows participants’
talents to flourish
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MODULE 28:
Group Differences in Intelligence:
Genetic and Environmental Determinants
Are traditional IQ tests culturally biased?
Are there racial differences in intelligence?
To what degree is intelligence influenced by the environment, and to what degree by heredity?
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MODULE 28:
Group Differences in Intelligence:
Genetic and Environmental Determinants
Background and experiences of test-takers
have the potential to affect results
Some standardized IQ tests contain elements
that discriminate against minority-group
members whose experiences differ from
those of the white majority 34
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The Relative Influence of Genetics and
Environment: Nature, Nurture, and IQ
Culture-fair IQ Test
› One that does not discriminate against the
members of any minority group
Heritability
› Measure of the degree to which a characteristic
can be attributed to genetic, inherited factors 35
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The Flexibility of Intelligence:
The Flynn Effect
Flynn Effect
› The average person today gets more items correct than did the average person several generations ago on IQ tests
› The cause of this effect is not clear
› Possible explanations:
Higher scores mean that people have matched their genetic gifts with the environment
Better nutrition, better parenting, or other improvements in the social environment Education 37
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