INTELLIGENCE AND TESTINGUnit XI

Ch 11: Intelligence and Testing

I. Validity – A property exhibited by a test that measures what it purports to measure (accuracy)

a. Face validity E.G. Instructor in College

b. Content validity E.G. AP Psychology Exam

• Uses an item analysis to examine each question on a test to see how it is related to the objectives being tested.

c. Criterion Validity- performance is measured against a performance goal.

- Concurrent validity- measures how much a characteristic has now. E.G. Chapter Test - Predictive Validity- is a measure of future performance. E.G. SAT, GT Tests

d. Construct Validity- looks for relationships in testing. E.G. Those who will make fine teachers and love their work.

e. How do you measure validity? Use a correlation between test scores and some other relevant measure.

II. Reliability – A property exhibited by a test that yields the same results over time (Consistency)

a. Test-retest reliability E.G. Comparing Scores on SAT tests

b. Split-half reliability E.G. Comparing scores between even vs. odd questions.

c. How do you measure reliability? Look at the correlation between two scores on the same test.

III. Standardization and Norms

a. When you take the SAT, you take an experimental section, a group of questions that you will not be evaluated on. A group who takes a test on a certain day will become a standardization sample.

b. Norms- provide information about how a person’s test compares with the scores of other test takers.

c. Percentile Scores- indicates the percentage of people who achieved the same as or less than a particular score.

d. Scientists use statistics to establish a normal curve. This curve can be used to describe most phenomena.

e. Normal range – Scores falling near the middle of a normal distribution.

IV. Types of Tests

a. Objective tests can be scored easily by machine. E.G. MBTI

b. In subjective or projective tests, individuals are given an ambiguous figure or an open-ended situation and asked to describe what they see or finish a story. E.G. TAT

• Problems in grading subjective tests: • Inter-rater reliability- a measure of how similarly two different test scorers would

grade the test. E.G. Rubric

EXAMPLE OF THE TAT

c. Aptitude tests- measures ability and potential. E.G. GT Tests

d. Achievement Tests- measured what one has learned or accomplished. E.G. AP Exam

e. Speed Test- generally consist of a large number of questions asked in a short amount of time.

E.G. Multiplication Test

f. Power Test- consist of items of increasing difficulty levels. E.G. AP Exam

g. Group Test- test many people at one time; test taker works alone; cheaper, more objective.

E.G. ASVAB, ACT, SAT

V. History of Intelligence Testing

a. Binet-Simon Test (Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon) calculated a child’s mental age and compared it to his or her chronological age. This would identify which children needed attention in school.

b. In America, testing became widespread for the assessment of Army recruits, immigrants, and schoolchildren during WWI. Tests helped identify students who needed remedial help.

c. The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Lewis Terman) is the most respected of the new American tests of intelligence.

V. Measuring Intelligence- Continued

d. IQ- A numerical score on an intelligence test, original computed by dividing a person’s mental age by chronological age and multiplying by 100.

• Problems- older people looked stupid on IQ tests.

e. IQ Testing Today: (David Wechsler) • WAIS (Adults) • WISC (Children, 6-16) • WPPSI (Preschool)

f. Mental Retardation- IQ under 70

g. Giftedness- IQ over 130

IQ

Mike has a chronological age of 6 and a mental age of 9. What is his IQ?

Stacy has a mental age of 12 and a chronological age of 15. What is her IQ?

Julie has a mental age of 14 and a chronological age of 10. What is her IQ?

VI. Psychometrics- specializes in mental testing.

a. Charles Spearman: • g Factor – A general intelligence, proposed by Spearman as the main

factor underlying all intelligent mental activity. This intelligence is said to be innate.

b. Raymond Catell

• Crystallized intelligence –The knowledge a person has acquired, plus the ability to access that knowledge

E.G. Jeopardy

• Fluid intelligence – The ability to see complex relationships and solve problems

E.G. Algorithms and Heuristics

c. Robert Sternberg

• Triarchic Theory of Intelligence: Practical (Contextual)Intelligence- “Street Smarts” Analytical (Componential) Intelligence- Grades in college Creative (Experiential) Intelligence- Artistic type of intelligence

d. Howard Gardner: Multiple Intelligences • Linguistic- Vocab and Reading Comprehension • Logical-Mathematical • Spatial- Art • Musical • Bodily-Kinesthetic-Athletics • Interpersonal- understand others • Intrapersonal- understand self • Nature- understands the natural environment. • Theory explains the intelligence in savants.

e. Daniel Goleman (Emotional Intelligence)

• corresponds to Gardner’s notions of interpersonal or intrapersonal intelligence. Researchers who argue for the importance of EQ point out that IQ is not an accurate measure of success.

VII. Problems in Testing

a. Self Fulfilling Prophecy (Rosenthal and Jacobsen) several children were labeled as “gifted”, compared to the rest of the class. Although the gifted children were randomly assigned, they did better on IQ tests largely due to teacher expectations. Attitudes toward exams, comfort in test setting, and motivation are other issues

b. Bias- questions on tests such as definitions do not bode well for people from different nationalities. The goal is to establish culture-fair tests.

VIII. Intelligence- a combination of nature and nurture.

A. Nature: • Highest correlation amongst identical twins in regards to intelligence. • In adoption studies, adopted children resemble their biological parents.

B. Nurture: • IQ scores can improve if the child is placed in a stimulating environment. E.G. Headstart

• Adoption studies show that siblings reared together are more similar in IQ than siblings reared apart.

• Flynn Effect- steady increase in performance on IQ tests over the last 80 years, possibly resulting from better nutrition, educational opportunities, and health care.

• Cultural-familial retardation- 75% of mental retardation are due to sociocultural deprivation.

C. Lewis Terman’s Study on Intelligence:

• Longitudinal Study done in 1921. • Strong correlation between IQ and academic achievement. • People who were gifted tend to be happier and had better overall

health.

IX. Heredity Explanations of Intelligence

A. Eugenics- a philosophy and a political movement that encourage biologically superior people to interbreed and sought to discourage biologically inferior people from having offspring.

B. Arthur Jensen- intelligence is 80% hereditary. Whites did better in IQ tests than African-Americans.

C. Herrnstein and Murray (The Bell Curve)- claimed racial differences in IQ have a strong genetic basis. • Research cited was flawed • Others factors could be causes of low IQ scores: lack of supplies, lower teacher expectations, etc… • Correlation does not mean causation.

D. Within-group differences- range of scores for variables being measured for a group or individuals.

E. Between-group differences- usually the difference between means of two groups individuals for a common variable.

F. Stereotype Threat (Claude Steele)- concept that anxiety influences achievement of members of a group concerned that their performance on a test will confirm a negative stereotype. This may account for lower scores of blacks on intelligence tests or girls on math tests.

G. Although today, research indicates that girls do better in English, while boys do better in math.