Intelligence

Chapter 9

In your journals…

In your opinion, does your overall "intelligence" or motivation play a bigger role in your academic success in school? Does your environment influence your academic success? Explain.

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/w1_interactive1.html

Just to think about…

What is intelligence? How can we measure/test it?

Are their ethnic/gender differences?

True or False There may be more than one kind of intelligence. Two children can answer exactly the same items on an

intelligence test correctly, yet one may have an above-average IQ and the other may have a below-average IQ.

When we think we will not succeed at something, we may not try as hard as we can.

Intellectually gifted people are by definition highly creative.

Preschool programs have a long-term effect on the children who attend them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=astISOttCQ0

Does each of us have an inborn general mental capacity?

Can we quantify this capacity as a meaningful number?

History

French government required ALL children to attend school

Some incapable of benefiting from “regular” school

Didn’t trust teachers’ subjective judgements

1904, commission: Binet & Simon

Binet & Simon Assumed all children followed some

intellectual development, but some were “retarded” in development

Set out to measure “mental age” (MA)

Purpose: identify children needing special attention

Binet feared assessments would limit/label children

Terman (1911) Binet’s test worked poorly for children in the

USA Changed/re-standardized test and renamed

it Stanford-Binet Promoted widespread use of intelligence

testing “ultimately result in curtailing the

reproduction of feeble-mindedness, and in the elimination of an enormous amount of crime, pauperism, and industrial efficiency.”

Stern

Derived intelligence quotient (IQ) IQ = mental age/chronological age

X 100 100 is the average score Works well with children but not adults 2/3 of people between 85-115

What is intelligence?

IQ is not a “thing” (can’t view an abstract, immaterial concept as if it were a concrete thing)

Socially constructed concept Cultures deem “intelligent” whatever

attributes/characteristics enable success Intelligence: abilities to learn from

experience, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with others

Is it a single overall ability???

Different Views… 1800s, Franz Joseph Gall - phrenology:

relationship between shape of skull and mental capabilities

Charles Spearman helped develop factor analysis

Factor analysis – enables researchers to identify clusters of test items that measure a common ability

Spearman believed in general intelligence – g factor

Increase in one intelligence, increase in another

Thurston identified 8 clusters of “primary

mental abilities”:1. Visual & spatial2. Perceptual speed3. Numerical ability4. Verbal reasoning5. Memory6. Word fluency7. Deductive reasoning8. Inductive reasoning

Sternberg

Different kinds of intelligences work together

1. Analytic – ability to solve problems

2. Creative – ability to deal with new situations

3. Practical – ability to accomplish everyday tasks

Gardner Intelligence comes in different packages;

intellectual “potentials” Each intelligence is based on different areas of

the brain1. Linguistic 2. Logical-mathematical3. Visual-spatial4. Bodily-kinesthetic5. Musical-rhythmical 6. Interpersonal7. Intrapersonal8. Naturalistic

Review

1. What is the “g factor”? Whose idea was this?2. What is a major difference between the theories of Thurston and Gardner?3. What was phrenology?4. Who developed the IQ quotient?5. What is the formula for IQ?6. Why were IQ tests first developed?

Emotional Intelligence

Goleman – why are smart people not always successful?

1. Self-awareness2. Mood management3. Self-motivation4. Impulse control5. People skills

Creativity Ability to produce new ideas that are

novel and valuable 5 components:1. Expertise2. Imaginative thinking skills3. Venturesome personality4. Intrinsic motivation5. Creative environment

Not creative BUT want to be??

No worries… Research offers some advice…1.Develop YOUR expertise2.Allow time for incubation3.Set aside time for the mind to roam freely4.Experience other cultures and ways of thinking

Assessment Aptitude – predict ability to learn new skills

(college entrance exams) Achievement – reflects what you have

learned (current skills – chapter tests) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV) Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

(WISC)- 11 subtests- overall intelligence AND separates verbal/performance (nonverbal)- large differences btw verbal/nonverbal = LD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8uUrxfXpJ8

Important Concepts Standardization – process of defining

meaningful scores relative to a pretested group

Reliability – yields consistent results Test-retest reliability – comparing scores

earned by the same person on the same test taken at different times

Validity – extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

The TWO extremes… Intelligence scores below 70 – mental retardation Low test score AND difficulty in adapting to the

demands of life 1% of population meet both criteria Mild profound Males outnumber females by 50% Most, with support, can live in mainstream

society Causes – brain damage, difficulties during

childbirth, genetic disorders or abnormalities (Down Syndrome)

Savant Syndrome* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oZaCrkCxu8 (musical talent)

Figure 9.9The prevalence and severity of mental retardation. The overall prevalence of mental retardation is roughly 1 to 3% of the general population. The vast majority (85%) of the retarded population is mildly retarded. Only about 15% of the retarded population falls into the subcategories of moderate, severe, or profound retardation.

Giftedness IQ scores 130 or above Possess outstanding talent or to show the

potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment compared to other people

Tracking: separates “gifted” from “ungifted” students- self-fulfilling prophecy- low self-esteem- widens achievement gap

Differences Curve for whites – 100 Curve for blacks – 85 Hispanics between 85-100 SAT results are similar Racial gaps – environmental? BIAS? – self-fulfilling prophecy

(women/blacks) DISCRIMINATION? GENDER?

Figure 9.27Estimated prevalence of psychological disorders among people who achieved creative eminence. Ludwig (1995) studied biographies of 1004 people who had clearly achieved eminence in one of 18 fields and tried to determine whether each person suffered from any specific mental disorders in his or her lifetime. The data summarized here show the prevalence rates for depression and for a mental disorder of any kind for four fields where creativity is often the key to achieving eminence. As you can see, the estimated prevalence of mental illness was extremely elevated among eminent writers, artists, and composers (but not natural scientists) in comparison to the general population, with depression accounting for much of this elevation.

Review 1. What is phrenology? 2. What is the IQ score for mental

retardation? Giftedness? 3. What is your ACTUAL age also known

as? 4. Thurston theorized that we have ____

_________ __________ _______. 5. What is the ability to develop novel

ideas? 6. Who theorized emotional

intelligence? Why?

Heredity Family and twin studies Heritability estimates

Environment Adoption studies Cumulative deprivation hypothesis The Flynn effect

Interaction The concept of the reaction range

Intelligence: Heredity or Environment?

LaunchVideo

This issue has far-reaching sociopolitical implications and continues to be a complex controversy.

Family studies determine only whether genetic influence on a trait is plausible, not whether it is certain. Family members also share environments.

Twin studies provide evidence regarding the role of genetic factors. The basic rationale is that identical and fraternal twins develop under similar environmental conditions, but identical twins share more genes…if identical twins end up more similar on a given characteristic, it must be genetic.

A heritability ratio is an estimate of the proportion of trait variability in a population that is determined by variations in genetic inheritance. A heritability estimate is a group statistic and cannot be meaningfully applied to individuals.

Adoption studies provide evidence that upbringing plays an important role in mental ability, as adopted children show some resemblance to their foster parents. Also, siblings reared together are more similar in IQ than siblings reared apart. In fact, entirely unrelated children who are reared together show resemblance in IQ.

The cumulative deprivation hypothesis holds that children raised in deprived environments will experience a gradual decline in IQ as they grow older. Conversely, children removed from deprived environments and placed in homes that are more conducive for learning show IQ increases.

The Flynn effect is the trend, all over the developed world, for IQ scores to increase from one generation to the next. Hypotheses for why this occurs focus on environmental variables, as evolution does not operate in a generation.

Clearly, heredity and environment both influence intelligence. Theorists use the term reaction range to refer to genetically determined limits on IQ. The environment determines whether a person will fall at the upper or lower end of their genetically determined range. The next slide illustrates the concept of the reaction range.

Figure 9.15Reaction range. The concept of reaction range posits that heredity sets limits on one’s intellectual potential (represented by the horizontal bars), while the quality of one’s environment influences where one scores within this range (represented by the dots on the bars). People raised in enriched environments should score near the top of their reaction range, whereas people raised in poor-quality environments should score near the bottom of their range. Genetic limits on IQ can be inferred only indirectly, so theorists aren’t sure whether reaction ranges are narrow (like Ted’s) or wide (like Chris’s). The concept of reaction range can explain how two people with similar genetic potential can be quite different in intelligence (compare Tom and Jack) and how two people reared in environments of similar quality can score quite differently (compare Alice and Jack).

Figure 9.12Studies of IQ similarity. The graph shows the mean correlations of IQ scores for people of various types of relationships, as obtained in studies of IQ similarity. Higher correlations indicate greater similarity. The results show that greater genetic similarity is associated with greater similarity in IQ, suggesting that intelligence is partly inherited (compare, for example, the correlations for identical and fraternal twins). However, the results also show that living together is associated with greater IQ similarity, suggesting that intelligence is partly governed by environment (compare, for example, the scores of siblings reared together and reared apart). (Data from McGue et al., 1993)

Figure 9.13The concept of heritability. A heritability ratio is an estimate of the portion of variation in a trait determined by heredity—with the remainder presumably determined by environment—as these pie charts illustrate. Typical heritability estimates for intelligence range between a high of 70% and a low of 50%, although some estimates have fallen outside this range. Bear in mind that heritability ratios are estimates and have certain limitations that are discussed in the text.

Figure 9.16Genetics and between-group differences on a trait. Kamin’s analogy (see text) shows how between-group differences on a trait (the height of corn plants) could be due to environment, even if the trait is largely inherited. The same reasoning presumably applies to ethnic group differences in the trait of human intelligence.

Figure 9.18Asian Americans’ academic success. On various measures of educational success, such as the high school graduation rates shown here, the performance of Asian American students tends to exceed that of other ethnic groups in the United States. More research is needed on the matter, but most theorists believe that cultural factors are responsible for Asian Americans’ academic prowess. (Data from Sue & Okazaki, 1990)

Genetic Influences

5 studies, 63 sets of identical twins reared together = virtually as similar as if the same person took the same test

Fraternal twins are much less similar Identical twins reared differently – similar scores Fraternal twins score more alike than other

siblings Adopted children’s scores are MORE similar to

biological parents’ Hereditability

Environmental Influences

Environment that siblings share doesn’t influence aptitude, but significantly influences achievement

No environmental recipe for “superbabies” beyond normal exposure to sights, sounds, and speech

Preschool & Head-Start Programs (Zigler)- enhance chances for success- short-term cognitive gains- increases school readiness- decreases likelihood of repeating a grade or being placed in special ed

Most effective early intervention programs:

1. Begin earlier/continue longer2. More intensive (more days/hours)3. Provide children with direct

educational experiences4. Offer support program for maintaining

positive attitudes and behaviors

More schooling higher intelligence

Rise in intelligence during school year drop over the

summer

Should school be year round?

Is this evolutionary?

Do our environments encourage these

differences?

Conclusions

Enables schools to recognize who might benefit from early intervention

Doesn’t measure a person’s worth

Reflects only ONE aspect of personal competence

Unanswered Questions