Psychology 1000 Lecture 25: Jan 17: Intelligence
Intelligence
Savant Syndrome
Autism
Theories
Finish chapter 10, page 426-435 (look at these pages first)
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Steven has a IQ about 85, but can remember and draw exactly based on memories.
● What causes savant syndrome?
● What are the symptoms of Autism?
● What is intelligence?
Make sure you know how to calculate IQ and stuffs…
Validity can be down if the test is not culturally fair...
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● What causes Savant Syndrome?
These individuals can do extreme things (tell exactly what day of the week if given a
date)….but at the same time, they cannot perform “normal” daily tasks (count the change, how
many words…)
Dr. J.L. Down (1887)...used “Idiot Savant” (“Idiot” was accepted category of intellectual
impairment at the time when the individual has IQ less than 25)
Excel in narrow range of abilities: such as lightning-fast math, music, calendar
calculations, arts, mechanical or spatial abilities. Other reports of ability in time estimation,
sensory discrimination, ESP. The most common combination: music talent with blind from birth
and autistic.
Can have multiple skills, all seem to be right hemisphere, all liked with phenomenal (but
narrow) memory.
It is very rare, less than 100 reports of prodigious ability (can be reporting-bias, because
people don’t report that in the past 50 years)
Only 25-50 living savants and 6 times more likely in males than in females.
→ paintings, sculptures…
Causes:
1. Eidetic imaging: perhaps savants have “photographic memory” unlikely because
their calculations beyond published data….
2. Heredity: early studies suggest family relationship, but recent data suggest “no”
it’s not the case. Only 1 in 23 relatives of 5 savants.
3. Sensory Deprivation: resulting from autism, promotes intense concentration.
Autistic kids most likely group to develop syndrome (1 in 10) but the rest 90% do
not.
4. Reinforcement: social attention serves as reward for display of talent, unlikely
many crave attention without developing exceptional talent
5. Lateralization: most savants have left hemisphere deficits, the right
hemisphere develops before the left. → if damage occurs while left still
developing (10th-18th week)...neurons in the left die ⇒ right hemisphere
“recruits” neural connections across the corpus callosum
⇒ effect can be triggered by testosterone → explained why most savants are
males.
They have these abilities from birth, or might acquire this much later in life.
Acquired Savant Syndrome: Jason Padgett: he hates Math, failed math in high school,
admits that he has cheated on every single math test he wrote, and was in a coma for four
days → has physical problems ⇒ but he see patterns in everything, understands Calculus....==>
now at Harvard.
Derek Amato: slammed his head in a side of a concrete...but kinda ok after, couple days
later, he sat at the keyboards, he could play every instruments in the studio (without having any
musical instrument training before).
Allan Synder:
⇒ stimulating the left hemisphere, and integrate all the things that you have, (the effect
does not last long)
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● What are the symptoms of Autism?: Half ò all Savants suffer from autism.
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Document Summary
Finish chapter 10, page 426-435 (look at these pages first) Steven has a iq about 85, but can remember and draw exactly based on memories. Make sure you know how to calculate iq and stuffs . Validity can be down if the test is not culturally fair These individuals can do extreme things (tell exactly what day of the week if given a date) . but at the same time, they cannot perform normal daily tasks (count the change, how many words ) Down (1887)used idiot savant ( idiot was accepted category of intellectual impairment at the time when the individual has iq less than 25) Excel in narrow range of abilities: such as lightning-fast math, music, calendar calculations, arts, mechanical or spatial abilities. Other reports of ability in time estimation, sensory discrimination, esp. The most common combination: music talent with blind from birth and autistic.