Presented to you by: Adina Beslagic, Katy Levigne, Sam Hinson,

Renee Smith, and Natalie Warren

Intelligence

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

What is intelligence?

Aptitude Exemplar

Linguistic T.S. Eliot, poet

Logical-Mathematical Steve Jobs, Inventor

Musical Beyonce, songwriter

Spatial Pablo Picasso, artist

Bodily-kinesthetic Alvin Ailey, dancer

Intrapersonal (self) Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist

Interpersonal (other people) Martin Luther King, leader

Naturalist Charles Darwin, naturalist

Gardner's Eight Intelligences

Achievement TestA test designed to test what a person has learned

Aptitude TestA test designed to predict a person’s future

performance (aptitude is the capacity to learn)Intelligence Test

A method for assessing an individuals mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others using numerical scores

RequirementsAll psychological tests must be reliable, valid, and

standardized

Ways of Measuring Intelligence

Alfred Binet: Predicting School Achievement The French government did not trust teachers’

subjective judgments of their children’s learning potential

France’s minister of public education commissioned Alfred Binet and others to study the problem

Binet and his collaborators sought out to find an accurate measurement of a child’s intelligence, they did so by establishing a child’s mental age (“dull” children preform at mental ages less than their real age, and “bright” children preform at ages older than their own )

Origins of Intelligence Testing

Lewis Terman: The Innate IQTerman took Binet’s assessment and added a

few components to extent the upper end of the test’s range from teenagers to “superior adults”Mental Age/Chronological Age (x100)

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)The WAIS consists of 11 subtests. It yields an

overall intelligence score along with separate scores for verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, working memory, and processing speed

Origins of Intelligence Testing

Genetic Influences Studies of twins, family members, and adopted children together have

proven the significance of hereditary contribution to intelligence.

Environmental Influences Life experiences also have a strong influence on intelligence test

performance. Environmental factors such as care giving and nutrition can also affect intelligence.

Group Differences in Intelligence Test Scores Like individuals, groups vary in intelligence test scores. In some cases,

racial gaps in test scores can be attribute do differences in environment and culture.

The Question of Bias Aptitude tests aim to predict how well a test-taker will perform in a

given situation. But, a biased test predicts less accurately for one group than for another. So, experts do not consider the major aptitude tests to be significantly biased.

Genetic and Environmental Influences

Racial groups differ in their average scored on intelligence tests

High scoring people and groups are more likely to attain higher levels of education and incomeThe bell curve for Whites is centered roughly

around IQ 100; 85 for Blacks, and those that belong in different subgroups of Hispanics fall (roughly) midway between those for Whites and Blacks.

*Stereotype Threat: A self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype

Group Differences in Intelligence Scores

Theory Summary Strengths Other Considerations

Spearman’s General Intelligence

A basic intelligence predicts our abilities in varied academic areas.

Different abilities, such as verbal and spatial do have some tendency to correlate.

Human abilities are too diverse to be evaluated by a single general intelligence factor.

Thurstone’s primary mental abilities

Our intelligence may be broken down into seven factors: word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning, and memory.

A single intelligence story is not as informative as scores for seven primary mental abilities.

The seven mental abilities show a tendency to cluster, suggesting an additional intelligence factor.

Gardner’s multiple intelligences

Our abilities are best classified into eight independent intelligences, which include a broad range of skills beyond traditional school smarts.

Intelligence is more than just verbal and mathematical skills. Other abilities are equally important to our human adaptability.

Should all abilities be considered intelligence? Or could some be considered talents?

Sternberg’s triarchic

Our intelligence is best classified into three areas that predict our real-world success: analytical, creative, and practical.

These three facets may be reliably measured

1. These facets may be less independent than Sternberg thought and may share an underlying intelligence factor

2. 2. Additional testing is needed to determine whether these facets can reliably predict success

Comparing Theories of Intelligence

Level Appx. Intelligence Scores

% of Persons with Retardation

Adaption to Demands of Life

Mild 50-70 85% May learn academic skills up to sixth-grade level. Adults may (with some assistance) achieve self –supporting social and vocational skills

Moderate 35-50 10% May progress to second-grade level academically. Adults may contribute to their own support by laboring in sheltered workshops

Severe 20-35 3-4% May learn to talk and to perform simple work tasks under close supervision buy are generally unable to profit from vocational training

Profound Below 20 1-2% Require constant aid and supervision

Extremes of Intelligence: RetardationRetardation can be caused by physical incapability, neglect from caregivers, and genetic mutations

Gender Similarities and Differences

Girls BoysSpelling Girls are better spellers At the end of high school in

the U.S. 30% of males are better spellers than girls

Verbal Ability Girls are more verbally fluent and more capable of remembering words

Nonverbal Memory In studies, girls have surpassed boys at locating objects and executing picture associations.

Sensation Girls are more sensitive to taste, touch, and odor

Underachievement Girls tend to begin speaking earlier and do not stutter as often as boys

Among high school underachievers, boys outnumber girls three to one.

Math and spatial aptitudes Females have an edge in math computation

Males in 20 of 21 countries scored higher than women in math problem solving. U.S high school seniors have averaged 45 points higher on the SAT math test and females

Psychologist who visited an Iranian orphanage to observe the effects of early experience and the importance of caregivers intervention in an infants developmental process

He found that the typical child could not sit up unassisted at age two or walk by age four. Due to the lack of contact, the children developed little sense of personal control over their environment and became passive “glum lumps”

J. McVicker Hunt (1982)

Do Twins Really Have Similar IQ’s?

Analytical IntelligenceThe ability to accurately solve problems

Creative IntelligenceThe ability to deal with new situations using past

experiences and current skillsPractical Intelligence

The ability to adapt to a chancing environmentEmotional Intelligence

Involves the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions. Those with a high emotional intelligence are better able to have higher-quality relationships with others.

Contemporary Intelligence Theories

Creativity is the ability to produce ideas that are both novel and valuable.

What is Creativity?

1. Expertise The more images, ideas, and phrases available to us through

our accumulated learning, the more chances we have to combine these mental blocks in new ways.

2. Imaginative Thinking Skills By making patterns and connections, find ways to expand on

our previous experiences

3. A Venturesome Personality Preserves in overcoming obstacles and seeks new experiences

rather than following pack.

4. Intrinsic Motivation People will be the most creative when they are motivated my

interest and satisfaction rather than external pressures.

5. A Creative Environment Sparks, supports, and refines creative ideas.

What Influences Creativity?