Intelligence and Psychological Testing – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Psychological Testing
answer
a standarised measure fo a sample of a person's behavior; measure indicidual differances that exist between people in abilitites, interests, and aspectes of personality.
question
Type of Testing
answer
mental ability tests and personality tests
question
Intelligence Tests
answer
measure general mental ability; assess intellectual potential rather than previous learning or accumulated knowledge. Ex. IQ test
question
Aptitude Tests
answer
assess specific types of mental abilities; also assess potential more then knowledge but break it down into spearate components. Ex. differential aptitude tests, SATs
question
Differential Aptitude Tests
answer
assess verbal reasoning, numerical ability, abstract reasoning, etc.
question
Achievement Tests
answer
gauge a person's mastery and knowledge of various subjects; measure previous learning instead of potential. Ex. Calfiornia Achievement Test (CAT); reading, english, history
question
Types of Mental Ability Tests
answer
intelligence tests, aptitude tests, and achievement tests
question
Personality Tests
answer
measure various aspects of personality, including motives, interests, values, and attitudes; often called personality scales because they do not have right and wrong answers. Ex. ASVAB
question
Standardization
answer
the uniform procedures used in the administration and scoring of a test. Both mental ability and personailty tests are standarized; i.e. same instructions, same time limit, same questions; controls for place and time
question
Test norms
answer
provide information about where a score on a psycholigcal test ranks in relation to other scores on that test; everything is relative to other people; based on standardization gorup
question
What makes a good psychological test?
answer
reliability, validity (content, criterion-related (predictive), construct)
question
Reliability
answer
refers to teh measurement of consistency of a test (or other measurement techniques)
question
Test-retest reliability
answer
compare scores on two administrations of a test (usually a few weeks apart); works for tests that measure relatively constant traits, such as assertiveness and intelligence; changes in score would reflect inconsistency of the test
question
Split-half reliability
answer
score the first and second half of the test separately
question
How do we test reliability?
answer
test-retest and split-half reliability, correlation coefficient
question
Correlation Coefficient
answer
a numberical index of the degree of relationship between two variables; most psycholgical tests ahve a CC of above .70, many exceed .90
question
Validity
answer
refers to the ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure; the higher the vailidity, the more accurate the inferences about the results of that test
question
Types of Validity
answer
content, criterion-related, and construct
question
Content Validity
answer
refers to the degree to whcih the content of a test is representative of the domain it's supposed to cover; especially necessary for achievement tests
question
Predictive Validity
answer
a.k.a. criterion-related validity; estimated by correlating a subject's scores on a test with their scores on an independent criterion (another measure) fo the trait assessed by the test; helpful when making predictions about behavior, like job capability
question
Construct Validity
answer
the extent to which there is evidnece that a test measures a particular hypothetical construct (i.e. creativity, intelligence, extraversion, independece, etc.); demonstrating construct validity involves a complex process of looking at the relations between a test adn many other measures
question
What are the two extremes of intelligence?
answer
mental retardation and giftedness
question
Mental Retardation
answer
2 standard deviations below the mean on IQ test
question
American Association of Mental Retardation (AAMR)
answer
refers to subaverage geeral mental ability accompained by deficiencies in adaptive skills, originating before age 18
question
Origins of Retardation
answer
chromosal, metabolic, cerebrospinal fluid
question
Chromosonal origin of retardation
answer
abnormal number of chromosomes
question
Metabolic origin of retardation
answer
enzyme deficiency
question
Cerebrospinal fluid origin of retardation
answer
excessive accumulation fo CSF in the skull
question
Analytical Intelligence
answer
involves abstract reasoning, evaluation, and judgment; crucial to school work adn conventional IQ test
question
Creative Intelligence
answer
ability to generate new ideas and to be inventive
question
Practical Intelligence
answer
ability to deal effectively with problems in daily life, i.e. at home/work
question
Sternberg
answer
3 facets of "successful intelligece"
question
Savant Syndrome
answer
a condition in wich a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as computation or drawing
question
Gardner
answer
there are autonomous types of humand intelligence
question
Criticisms of Gardner
answer
defition of intelligence is too broad; encompassing almost any aspect of human ability makes the term meaningless; not enough research has been done on the predicitive value of these intelligences
question
Emotional Intelligence
answer
ability to: perceive and express emotion; assimilate emotion in thought; understand and reason with emotion; regualte emotion. Some people are much better emotion detectors than others
question
Importance of Emotional Intelligence
answer
emotionally intelligent (high EQ) people: are self-aware; can manage emotions; can delay gratification; are more empathetic; succeed more socially than thsoe with a low EQ
question
EQ Test
answer
Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test; performance based test of the ability to deal with emotions; scores seem to predict the quality of subjects social interactions
question
Fluid Intelligence
answer
invovles reasonign ability, memory capacity, and speed of information processing
question
Crystallized Intelligence
answer
involves ability to apply acqured knowledge and skills in problem solving
question
Factor Analysis
answer
correlations among many variables are analyzed to idenitify closely related clusters of variables
question
Primary mental abilities
answer
word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning, memory
question
What types of people did Sir Francis Galton originally study? What did he conclude from his studies?
answer
He studies well-bred, upper-class families with access to superior schooling and social connections that paved the way to success. He concluded that success runs in families because great intelligence is passed from generation to generation through genetic inheritance.
question
What did Galton assume the contents fo the mind were built from? What was his hypothesis?
answer
Elementary sensations; he hypothesized that expectionally bright people should exhibit exceptional sensory acuity.
question
What did Galton measure? Give examples.
answer
He measured simple sensory processes. Ex. sensitivity to high-pitched sounds, color perception, and reaction time
question
Through his investigations, Galton was able to coin what phrase? What two concepts did he invent?
answer
"Nature vs. Nurture"; correlation and percentile test scores
question
Where was Sir Francis Galton from?
answer
Britian
question
Why did the French commission on education call upon Binet? What was their goal?
answer
They wanted him to devise a test to identify mental subnormal children. Their goal was to single out youngsters in need of special training, and to avoid complete reliance on teacher's evaluations, which might often be subjective and biased.
question
What did Binet accomplish with Theodore SImon? Why was it a success?
answer
They were able to deveop the first useful test of general mental ability. It was a success because it was inexpensive, easy to administer, obejctive, and capable of predicting children's performance in school fairly well.
question
How did the Binet-Simon scale expresss a child's score?
answer
It expressed a child's score in terms of "mental level" or "mental age".
question
How did Terman and his colleagues revise Binet's scoring scheme? What was their scale called?
answer
They incorporated a new scoring scheme based on the intelligence quotient. An IQ is a child's metnal age divided by chronological age, multiplied by 100. They called their scale the Standford-Binet intelligence scale.
question
How did Terman influence educational use of IQ tests?
answer
His machine made it possible to compare children of different ages
question
What was Terman's most important contribution to intelligence testing?
answer
Using the intelligence quotient to score a child's mental ability
question
Where was David Wechsler a psychologist?
answer
New York's Bellevue Hospital
question
Why did Wechsler want to revise the Stanford-Binet scale? What was his scale called?
answer
He wanted to create a scale that could measure the intelligence of adults. He called it the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.
question
What two major innovations characterized Wechsler's scales?
answer
Made it less dependent on verbal ability by including many items that required nonverabl reasoning. This highlighted teh fistinction between verbal and nonverbal ability. He included separate scores for verbal IQ, performance IQ, and full-scale IQ. He discarded teh IQ and replaced it with a new scoring method based on the normal distribution
question
Individual Tests
answer
adminsitered by pyschologists who have special training; psychologists works face to face with a single examinee; Stanford-Binet and Wechsler scales are used; expensive and time comsuming
question
Group Tests
answer
Otis-Lennon School Ability Test and Cognitive ability test; cost-effective; used by many school districts when administering IQ tests
question
What are the various types of items that may appear on an IQ test?
answer
require examinees to furnish information, recognize vocabulary, demonstrate basic memory, and manipulate words, numbers, and images through abstract reasoning.
question
What is the normal distribution? How does it realte to IQ scores?
answer
It is a symmetric, bell-shaped curve that represents the pattern in which many characteristics are dispersed in the population. Most IQ scores fall near the center of the districtuion, the number of cases declines are you away from the center in either direction.
question
What are deviation IQ scores? How did Wechsler use them?
answer
They locate subjects precisely within the normal distribution, using standard deviation as the unit of measurement. Permitted Wechsler to devise a more sophisticated scoring system.
question
If a eprson has a score of 115 on an IQ test, what does this mean?
answer
The person scared exactly one standard deviation above the mean.
question
What can deviation IQ scores be converted into? What is this important?
answer
They can be converted into percentile scores. It's important because a specific socre on a specific test always translates into exactly the same percentile score, regardless of age.
question
What are intelligence tests intended to measure?
answer
intellectual potential
question
What are some problems with trying to measure potential?
answer
People's backgrounds differ, so it is not easy to devise items that are completely unaffected by differences in knowledge.
question
IQ tests actually measure what?
answer
potential and knowledge
question
How do IQ tests compare to otehr psycholgical tests in terms of reliability?
answer
They are exceptionally relaible; correlations range into the .90s
question
How does sample behavior affect scores of reliability?
answer
specific testing may yield an unrepresentative score
question
How do motivation and anxiety affect reliability ratings?
answer
They can prodcue misleading scores. Low motivation and high anxiety may drag a person's score down.
question
How should reliability scores be interpreted?
answer
motivation and anxiety should be accounted for
question
In what sense is the validity of IQ test questionalbe?
answer
if the purpose is to assess intelligence in a broader sense
question
What is the purpose of IQ testing?
answer
measure of the kind of intelligence to do well in academic work
question
Explain the correlation between IQ scores and school grades and IQ scores and number of school years completed. How do outside factors affect these correlations?
answer
The correlation between IQ scores adn school grades is in the .40s and .50s. The correlation between IQ scores and years of school completed is between .60 and .80. Outside factors like motivation, diligence, personality, and teachers' subjective bias affect these correlations.
question
What areas of menatl ability do IQ tests not cover? What is this significant?
answer
IQ test do not cover practical or social intelligence. This is significant because IQ tests only assess one of the three components of intelligence.
question
In general, are people with high IQ scores more likely to end up in high-status jobs? What is the level of correlation?
answer
People who score high on IQ tests are more likely than those who score low to end up in high-status jobs. The correlation is moderate.
question
How migh someone be an exception to having a high IQ = high-status job?
answer
People with limited ability as measured by IQ test, who work hard and are determined, end up in prestigous jobs. Those who scored high on IQ tests but are less motiviated end up in lower-status jobs.
question
How do IQ scores correlate job performance within a profession or occupation?
answer
There is moderate correlation between intelligence and performance.
question
How has the correlation between job performance and IQ scores affected court rulings and laws regarding the use of intelligence testing to make employment decisions?
answer
Psychological test that measure specific abilities relevant to specific jobs continue to be used when selecting employees.
question
What are emplyers begining to use to select emplyees? Why is this better than IQ tests?
answer
Personality tests becasue they help companies to choose employees with personality traits that they want in their work place.
question
How does the use of IQ testing vary between Western and non-Western countries?
answer
Western countries use IQ testing alot, but non-Western countries use them very little.
question
Why do non-Westerns countries like India and China reject IQ tests designed by Westners?
answer
The tests do not translate well into the language and cognitive frame-works of many non-Western cultures.
question
How do cultural values affect perception of intelligence? How does this make it difficult to create translatable IQ tests?
answer
The ingredients of intelligence are culture specific, creating tests that measure these ingredients with equal-reliability and validity in both cultural contexts is difficult.
