PSY 202 Midterm: Midterm 1 study guide
11 Dec 2018
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PSY 202 Study Guide ( Chapters 9 - 1 1 )
CHAPTER 9: INTELLIGENCE AND IQ TESTING
1. What arguments support intelligence as one general mental ability , and what
arguments support the idea of multiple distinct abilities ?
- Spearman’s development of G and S
o General intelligence (g) accounts for overall differences in intellect among
people. Overall intelligence level, has just one score.
o Specific abilities (s) reflects our particular skills. It’s what one person may be
good at specifically.
12. How do Gardner and Sternberg’s theories of multiple intelligence differ?
- Gardner → “frames of mind” – ways of thinking about the world. Different types of
intelligence in different domains (8): Linguistic, logico-mathematical, spatial,
musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic.
o Virtually impossible to falsify
o Not clear why certain abilities classify as intelligence & others don’t
o No good evidence that these intelligences are truly independent
- Sternberg → triarchic model – three largely distinct types of intelligence. Having one
doesn’t ensure you have the others
1. analytical (book smarts)
▪ ability to reason logically
2. practical (street smarts)
▪ ability to solve real world problems
3. creative (creativity)
▪ ability to come up with new and effective answers (think outside the
box)
o practical intelligence not independent of g
o causal relationship b/w job performance & practical intelligence
o we all possess strengths and weaknesses, but they may not be as distinct as
theorized.
13. To what extent is intelligence related to brain anatomy and neural processing speed ?
- Brain anatomy
o Brain volume (size) correlates positively w measured intelligence (0.3-0.4)
(moderate correlation, may not be directly causal)
o Evidence suggest cerebral cortex development is slower in gifted children
(have more efficient brains so they don’t develop as quick)
- Processing speed
o Intelligence may reflect efficiency of mental processing.
o Working memory also closely related to intelligence
o Speed of info processing is closely related to intelligence.
14. What is crystallized intelligence ? What is fluid intelligence ?
- Crystallized → accumulated knowledge of the world we gain over time. Ability to
remember things (book smart/memory)
- Fluid → capacity to learn new ways of solving problems. Learn new things (how to
drive)
15. When and why were intelligence tests created? What is an intelligence quotient ?
- Intelligence tests were created by Binet and Simon for men in the French military to
be appointed jobs. 1904.
- Binet’s concept of mental age lead to development of IQ. (Mental age/Chronological
age x 100 = IQ)
o Works for kids, not adults. Compared each person to what is normal for their
age group.
o Modern IQ tests use a deviation IQ that eliminates age effects
16. What is mental age ?
- The age of the mind. If a young adult preforms the same as an average 6 year old,
their mental age is 6.
- refers to the age that corresponds with how well you do on an intelligence test
17. Describe the eugenics movement.
- Wanting to get rid of people with low IQ
- Resulted from abuse of IQ tests, worry about ‘low IQ’
- Forcible sterilization and immigration laws were most visible impacts on society
o Encouraging people with high IQ to have kids & low IQ to avoid kids
o People with mental illnesses were forcible sterilized
o Immigrants tested for IQ in English
18. How stable are intelligence scores over the lifespan?
- In adults, scores tend to be highly stable over long periods of time
- Prior to age three, IQ tests are very unstable & poor predictors of adult IQ
19. What are the traits of those at the low and high intelligence extremes?
- Intellectual disability (IQ below 70)
o Childhood onset of low IQ (born with)
o Inability to engage in adequate daily functioning.
o 1% of American population. 4 levels: mild, moderate, severe, profound
o More sever, less likely to run in family
o Very gullible, makes them vulnerable to abuse/fraud.
- Mental giftedness (IQ above 130)
o Top 2% of IQ scores
o Large portion occupy professions: doctors, lawyers, engineers, professor
o Terman’s “Termites” showed that prodigies do not burn out or have higher
rates of mental illness.
o Genetic factors play a role, but so do practice and dedication
20. How can genetic influences be determined from family, twin, and adoption studies?
- Family studies:
o Confirm that IQ runs in families
o Sibling IQs correlate at 0.5, cousins at 0.15
o Parents and children’s IQs correlate at 0.6 - 0.7
- Twin studies:
o Identical twins correlate at 0.7 - 0.8
o Fraternal twins correlate at 0.3 - 0.4
o Twins reared apart are as similar in IQ as twins reared together. But high
levels of environmental deprivation may swamp out effects of genes
- Adoption studies:
o Point to influence of environment, but still strongly support importance of
genetics on IQ
21. What are some potential environmental influences on IQ?
- Those that think IQ is fixed tend to take less academic risks, challenging themselves
less. Growth mindset people believe that their IQ can change and they do challenge
themselves.
- Kids from larger families have slightly lower IQs than children from smaller families
- Amount of schooling seems to exert a causal influence on IQ
- Early intervention programs (head start) produce short-term increases in IQ (result
in lower high school drop-out/held back rates)
- Small impact of expectancy effects by teachers on IQ
- Poverty → lack of proper nutrition and exposure to lead may lead to lower IQs
o Cumulative deficit (older sibling in poor household had lowest IQ)
22. What are some similarities and differences in mental ability between men and women?
- Males are more variable in their IQ scores.
- Specific mental abilities:
o Females tend to do better on some verbal tasks and recognizing emotions in
others
o Males ten to do better on spatial availability tests, like mental rotation and
geography.
23. Are there racial differences in IQ? What are some factors which contribute to this?
- Yes. African-Americans and Hispanic Americans score lower than Caucasians on
standard IQ tests
- Asian-Americans score higher than Caucasians
- Jews score slightly higher than non-Jews
- Differences seem to be largely or completely environmental origin
Document Summary
Psy 202 study guide ( chapters 9 - 1 1 ) Spearman"s development of g and s: general intelligence (g) accounts for overall differences in intellect among people. Overall intelligence level, has just one score: specific abilities (s) reflects our particular skills. Gardner frames of mind ways of thinking about the world. Sternberg triarchic model three largely distinct types of intelligence. Crystallized accumulated knowledge of the world we gain over time. Fluid capacity to learn new ways of solving problems. Intelligence tests were created by binet and simon for men in the french military to be appointed jobs. Binet"s concept of mental age lead to development of iq. (mental age/chronological age x 100 = iq: works for kids, not adults. If a young adult preforms the same as an average 6 year old, their mental age is 6. refers to the age that corresponds with how well you do on an intelligence test: describe the eugenics movement.
