PSYC 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Mental Rotation, South Dakota Highway 15, Operational Definition

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 1000
• Professor: Paula Barata

Document Summary

Overview: definitions of intelligence, historical roots, modern iq testing, the nature of intelligence (a unitary trait or multifaceted?, heredity and intelligence (group differences) An ascribed quality (eye of the beholder) An abstract concept that is socially constructed. Textbook definition: (cid:498)the ability to think, understand, reason, and adapt to or overcome obstacles(cid:499) (cid:498)she has an )q of (cid:883)(cid:884)(cid:882)(cid:499) not like (cid:498)she has blue eyes(cid:499) Charles darwin"s cousin applied survival of the fittest to intelligence. Wanted to measure innate mental abilities- one of the first to promote the. Quantifying superiority idea of quantifying mental abilities, -measured nervous system efficiency( eg. reaction speed, hand strength, skull size etc. ) William stern takes concept of mental age one step further. Average child: mental age = chronological age. 9/9 x 100 =100=average 9 yrs old. (8/9)x100=88. 88 = below average 9 yr old. (10/9) x 100 = 111 = above a)verage 9 yr old. Works okay for children, but not for adults.