Chapter 11: Intelligence

What is intelligence?

 mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations  Two controversies: 1.

Is intelligence a single overall ability or several specific abilities?

2.

Can we locate and measure intelligence within the brain?

Is intelligence a single overall ability or several specific abilities?



general intelligence (g)

- factor that underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test Charles Spearman (1863-1945) L.L. Thurstone (1887-1955)

Is intelligence a single overall ability or several specific abilities?



savant syndrome-

condition where a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing

Howard Gardner and Multiple Intelligences  intelligence comes in different packages  multiple intelligences, independent of each other linguistic musical bodily-kinesthetic interpersonal logical-mathematical spatial intrapersonal naturalist

Robert Sternberg and the Triarchic Theory

1.

analytical (academic-problem-solving) intelligence 2.

creative intelligence 3.

practical intelligence Multiple intelligences contribute to life success.

Emotional Intelligence

 Four components: the ability to… 1.

2.

3.

4.

perceive emotions understand emotions manage emotions use emotions

Does this stretch the concept of intelligence too far?

Creativity

ability to produce ideas that are both novel and valuable

5 components of creativity:

1.

expertise 2.

3.

4.

5.

imaginative thinking skills venturesome personality intrinsic motivation creative environment

Can we locate and measure intelligence within the brain?

 MRI scans show correlations of about +.40 between brain size and intelligence score ○ But what is the cause of this?

 Highly educated brains have more synapses — but why?

Measuring Intelligence

Intelligence is whatever an intelligence test measures.

What is an intelligence test?



a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores

Alfred Binet (1857-1911)

 assumption: all children follow the same course of intellectual development but some develop more rapidly 

mental age-

chronological age typical of a given level of performance

Lewis Terman (1877-1956)

 creator of the Stanford-Binet

IQ

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

mental age chronological age 100

Why do we not utilize this formula today?

Principles of Test Construction

Reliability vs. Validity

The Question of Bias

Are intelligence scores stable?

 no infant indicator  age 4-performance begins to predict  age 7-scores stabilize

Extremes of Intelligence

 mental retardation-condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below

and

difficulty in adapting to the demands of life

IQ Range

50-69 35-49 20-34 below 20

Classification

mild moderate severe profound

Genetic Influences on Intelligence

 people who share genes also share comparable mental abilities  adoptive studies have shown that as we gain more life experience, our genetic influences become more apparent

Environmental Influences on Intelligence  a poor environment can override genetic differences  Schooling and intelligence contribute to each other.

Racial and Gender Differences in Intelligence Test Scores  Racial groups differ in their average scores on intelligence tests.

 High-scoring people (and groups) are more likely to attain high levels of education and income.

But group differences don’t provide a basis for judging individuals.

 Is this gap in racial groups caused by environment?

Racial and Gender Differences in Intelligence Test Scores  Girls are better spellers, more verbally fluent, more capable of remembering words, are better at locating objects and are more sensitive to touch, taste and odor.  Boys outnumber girls in underachievement.

 Girls have an advantage in math computation, but boys have the advantage in math problem solving.

 Boys have an advantage in spatial ability.

Stereotype Threat

 self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype

In conclusion…

We must… 1.

2.

3.

realize the benefits Binet saw in tests of mental ability. be aware of fear that these scores can be misused as a literal measure of worth and potential.

realize intelligence test scores reflect only one aspect of personal competence.