Intelligence

INTELLIGENCE: The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

-To find out whether intelligence is one thing or several different abilities, scientists use factor analysis.
Factor Analysis: a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test.
-Charles Spearman used factor analysis to discover his g or (general intelligence).

Multiple Intelligence

Howard Gardner disagreed with Spearman's g and came up with the idea multiple intelligences by studying savants (a condition where a person has limited mental ability but is exceptional in one area).

Sternberg's Three Aspects of Intelligence

Gardner simplified...

1. Analytical (academic problem solving)
2. Creative (generating novel ideas)
3. Practical (required for everyday tasks where multiple solutions exist)

Emotional Intelligence: the ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions.
-Some studies show EQ to be a greater predictor for future success than an IQ.

Brain Function and Intelligence

-Higher performing brains use less active than lower performing brains (use less glucose).
-Neurological speed is also a bit quicker.

How do we assess Intelligence?

Mental Age: (Alfred Binet and Theadore Simon) what a person of a particular age should know.
-They discovered that discovering someone's age can predict their future performance.

Terman and his IQ Test

IQ= Mental Age/Chronological age x 100
-His IQ test doesn't really work well on adults.

Modern Tests of Mental Abilities

WAIS (Wechsler adult Intelligence Scale): consists of 11 subtests and cues us into strengths by using factor analysis.

Aptitude vs. Achievement Tests

Aptitude: A test designed to predict a person's future performance.
Achievement: A test designed to asses what a person has learned.
-Tests must be standardized, reliable, and valid.

Standardization
-The test must be pre-tested to a representative sample of people and form a normal distribution or bell curve.
Reliability
-The extent which a test yields consistent results over time.
Validity
-The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure

• Content Validity: does the test sample a behavior of interest?
• Predictive Validity: does the test predict the future behavior?

-Intelligence changes over time depending on the type of intelligence, crystallized or fluid.