Break-out Session

What is intelligence?

• List as many components of intelligence as you can—i.e. characteristics, traits, abilities, skills, that you believe are necessary components of intelligence

• Provide a definition.

Defining IntelligenceA single trait?—general intelligence (g)

Tasks on intelligence tests are positively correlatedOverall scores correlate with grades, info-processing speed,

knowledge of non-studied subjects, and speed of neural transmission

Rate of habituation as an intelligence test for babies?

•A few basic abilities?2 types of intelligence

Crystallized intelligence—factual knowledge of the world (e.g., word meaning)Tends to increase across the life span

Fluid intelligence—ability to think on the spot (e.g., solve novel puzzles)Tends to peak early in adulthood

Tests correlate more with others of same type

7 Primary Mental Abilities? (Thurstone, 1938)Word fluency, verbal meaning, reasoning, spatial

visualization, numbering, rote memory, and perceptual speed

Tests for a single ability correlate more than with tests for other abilities

•Multiple Processes?There are numerous distinct processes, including attending,

perceiving, encoding, planning, and reasoning

Carroll’s three-stratum model of intelligence

In Carroll’s three-stratum model of intelligence, general intelligence (g) influences several intermediate-level abilities, and each intermediate-level ability influences a variety of specific processes. As this model suggests, intelligence can be usefully viewed as a single entity, as a small set of abilities, or as a very large number of particular processes.

IQ (Intelligence Quotient)

•IQ is based on a normal distributionMost scores are near the mean (100)

•StabilityFrom age 5 correlations of IQ tests at different ages are strong

The closer in age the tests are given the stronger the correlation (e.g., ages 5 and 7 scores are more positivelycorrelated than ages 5 and 9 scores)

However, scores are not constant for individuals over time IQ increases when:

A child believes academic performance is valuableA child’s parents take interest in their academic successA child’s parents use firm but modest disciplinary rules

•IQ predictsAcademic, economic, and occupational successBUT you can’t rule out motivation, creativity, physical and

mental health, and social skills as factors affecting success

Effects of IQ and education on income

Factors Influencing Intelligence•The Child

GeneticsPlays a greater role as the child gets older

Evidence: Research on adopted children and their biological and adopted parents

Environment EffectsChildren overlap with their parents’ interests

(passive effects)

Children influence others’ behaviors (evocative effects)

Children choose things they enjoy (active effects)

GenderBoys and girls are mostly equal, but small differences

appear in early toddlerhood

Girls show more verbal fluency, writing skills, and perceptual speed

Boys tend to be stronger in visual-spatial processing, science skills, and mathematical problem solving

•The Immediate Environment

• FamilyHOME (Home Observation for Measurement of Environment)

Components:Emotional and verbal responsivity of motherAvoidance of restrictions and punishmentOrganization of physical environmentProvisions of appropriate play materialMaternal involvement with childOpportunities for variety of daily stimulation

Factors influencing Intelligence Cont’d…

IQ scores correlate with HOME score

HOME score is predictive of later IQ scores and school achievement

Problem: The HOME is mostly used with biological parents, therefore genetics can not be ruled out

SchoolsMore schooling is correlated with increased IQ scores

IQ scores increase during the school year, but decrease during summer break

• Society

Poverty (even after controlling for education level, race, or single parent families):

1. Poor diet/improper nutrition (early = worst but chronic or short term at anytime)

2. Reduced healthcare3. Inadequate parenting4. Poor intellectual stimulation5. Lack of emotional support

Yet some children show resiliency—why?

Resilient children have parents who despite their poverty: Are responsive to the child Provide safe areas to play Provide a variety of learning materials

***Thus, high quality parenting can often help overcome adversity!

Race and Ethnicity

In the US, on average African American children score 10-15 points lower on IQs test than Euro-Americans, American Indians and Latinos fall in between, and Asian Americans score highest of all

Why? 1. More of the first 3 groups are below the poverty line

(socioeconomic status) (thus, all factors associated with poverty)

2. Nature of the test questionsWho designed/administered the tests, experimenter biase.g. High-class White males vs. super model ‘intelligence’ tests With decreases in discrimination and inequality in recent years,

IQ differences have decreased as well

3. Differences in cultural and societal valuese.g. the superior visual-spatial skills of Asian-Americans have been

related to differences in nonverbal communication style, cultural values, and other factors

Other reasons?

Race and Ethnicity Differences

What do these results mean?

Are they genuine/valid differences? If so, the differences are small and depend on the type of

test (e.g. performance IQ tends to be higher than verbal in American Indians, Latinos, and Asian Americans; the opposite is true of African Americans)

When you include practical and creative intelligence components ethnicity diffs greatly reduced

They reflect averages (and tell us nothing about individuals)

Most likely DO NOT reflect inherent differences in overall ability/potential but rather reflect differences in environment

*E.g. adoptive studies of African-American children into high SES/high IQ/White families

Risk Factors

• Risk vs. resilience factors (aka protective factors)

• A variety of factors can lead to children failing to reach full intellectual potential

• Sameroff’s Environmental Risk Scale– The more risk factors in one’s environment, the

lower the IQ (typically, though these can be off-set by resilience factors)

Note: These are not necessarily causal variables! (correlational)

Risk factors and IQ

For both younger and older children, the more risk factors there are in the environment, the lower the average IQ.

Total number of risks more important than any one factor alone

Stability in IQ over time is likely also due to the stability of one’s environment over life (not just stable/constant of genotype)

(Data from Sameroff et al., 1993)

Intervention Programs

•Home-Based ProgramsFocus on parents and parenting

•Center-Based Programs• Focus on direct-teaching (traditional schooling)

•Piagetian-based Programs• Stimulating environments encouraging children to study

on their own without direct teaching

All areas are helpful:IQ improves for a few years but not long term BUT performance in school improves

(due to greater involvement of families in education process, increased self-esteem, motivation, improved classroom behavior)

*Demonstrates that IQ & Academic Achievement are not the same!