Intelligence and Psychological Testing

Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Intelligence and Psychological Testing AP PSYCHOLOGY

Psychological Testing : Psychological Testing Standardized measure of a sample of a person’s behavior Used to measure the differences among individual people Abilities, aptitudes, talents, interests, and personality Like sampling of a population Sample of your overall behavior

2 Major Types of Testing : 2 Major Types of Testing MENTAL ABILITY TESTS PERSONALITY TESTS

1. Mental Ability Tests : 1. Mental Ability Tests Most common type of psychological test Measures you general mental ability 3 types off mental ability tests Intelligence Tests Aptitude Tests Achievement Tests

Mental Ability Tests : Mental Ability Tests Intelligence Tests Measure general mental ability Used to assess intellectual potential Not used to measure previous learning

Mental Ability Tests : Mental Ability Tests Aptitude Tests Measure general mental ability Used to assess intellectual potential over previous learning But breaks down mental ability into categories EX: Differential aptitude tests measure in categories

Mental Ability Tests : Mental Ability Tests Achievement Tests Measure previous learning with specific focus Categories such as math, English, science, etc… Does not measure potential

2. Personality Tests : 2. Personality Tests Measure various aspects of your personality Motivation, values, interests, attitudes, etc...… Called personality scales because there are no right or wrong answers (like mental ability tests)

STANDARDIZATION AND NORMS : STANDARDIZATION AND NORMS Standardization: uniform procedures used in administration and scoring of a test. Ex: SAT Same instruction, questions, time limits etc...… No one has an advantage

Standardization and Norms : Standardization and Norms Test Norms: In order to standardize a test, we have to have test norms Test norms have to do with statistics Bell curve, standard deviation, mean, etc…

Standardization and Norms : Standardization and Norms Percentile Score: Indicate the percentage of people who score at or below a specific score

Standardization and Norms : Standardization and Norms Standardized Group Sample of people that the test norms are based on An average group of people on average score the mean Everyone else is scored according to that mean score, either above or below

Standardization and Norms : Standardization and Norms Reliability: Measures consistency of the test We check this by test and re-testing Correlation Coefficient The numerical accounting for the degree of relation between two variables The closer the correlation, the more reliable

Standardization and Norms : Standardization and Norms Validity: Does the test measure what it intended to measure? Three Types Content Validity- specific tests (achievement, classroom) should have strong content validity Criterion-Related Validity- needed for predicting behavior Construct Validity- used to measure abstract personal qualities Hypothetical Construct: no obvious criterion exists to measure these qualities so we call them hypothetical constructs.

The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing : The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing Sir Francis Galton- 19th Century British Scholar Family tree studies Intelligence must be inherited (biological) Most successful families share common characteristics Wrote, Hereditary Genius in 1869 Genetic inheritance of intelligence Coined term ‘Nature versus Nurture’ Inspired French psychologist Alfred Binet

The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing : The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing Alfred Binet (1904 Psychologist) Asked to devise a test to identify mental stability in subnormal children First useful test in 1905 Abstract reasoning skills Successful for many reasons It was cheap, easy to administer, objective and predicted children’s performance adequately Scores expressed in “mental level” and “mental age” Mental age: mental ability of a typical child of that chronological age Test revised in 1908 and 1911

Slide 17 : Items Used in the Stanford-Binet Test

Slide 18 : Binet used the term mental age to describe the level of intellectual functioning. The average five-year-old should pass most items on a test designed for that age. Intelligence Quotient (I.Q.) is a measure that compares mental age with physical age. A seven-year-old child with a mental age of eight will have an IQ of 114. Mental Age

Slide 19 : I.Q. Mental Age Chronological Age X 100 = I.Q. 7 7 X 100 = 100 8 7 X 100 = Calculating I.Q. What is the I.Q. of a 16-year-old girl with a mental age of 20? 114 Examples:

Slide 20 : I.Q. Mental Age Chronological Age X 100 = I.Q. 7 7 X 100 = 100 8 7 X 100 = Calculating I.Q. What is the I.Q. of a 16-year-old girl with a mental age of 20? 114 Examples:

What is Intelligence? : What is Intelligence? Factor Analysis statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie one’s total score General Intelligence (g) factor that Spearman and others believed underlies specific mental abilities measured by every task on an intelligence test

Theories of Intelligence : Theories of Intelligence Charles Spearman—“g” factor Louis Thurstone—intelligence as a person’s “pattern” of mental abilities Howard Gardner—multiple intelligences Sternberg–triarchic theory

Slide 23 : Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Are There Multiple Intelligences? : Are There Multiple Intelligences? Savant Syndrome condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill computation drawing

Robert Sternberg : Robert Sternberg Analytic intelligence— mental processes used in learning how to solve problems Creative intelligence— ability to deal with novel situations by drawing on existing skills and knowledge Practical intelligence— ability to adapt to the environment (street smarts)

The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing : The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing Terman (American, Stanford professor) Revised Binet test Called it the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (1916) Most worldwide spread test New scoring system was based on William Stern’s “Intelligence Quotient” IQ= Mental age/chronological age X 100 American schools adopted IQ tests because of Terman’s work.

The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing : The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing Wechsler (hospital chief psychologist in NY) Adult patients Didn’t like Stanford-Binet for adult testing (1939) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) He also created versions for adults

The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing: WAIS : The Beginnings of Intelligence Testing: WAIS Major Considerations Regarding WAIS Less dependent on verbal ability than Stanford-Binet Used separate scores for verbal ad nonverbal performance Abandoned the IQ way of doing things in favor for Normal Distribution This scoring scheme was adopted by most IQ testing including the Standford-Binet.

Modern Intelligence Testing : Modern Intelligence Testing 2 Categories of psychological tests used today Individual Tests Only trained psychologists can administer Stanford Binet and Wechsler Problems: expensive and time consuming Group Tests Formulated by researchers because of expense and time consumption of individual tests. Large groups at a time Otis-Lennon School Ability Test and the Cognitive Abilities Test

More about intelligence tests : More about intelligence tests Measure intellectual potential Previous knowledge can effect results Very reliable Sample behavior If person is in unusual mood, scores may not be accurate Valid for educational purposes May not be for vocational purposes like a trade High scores=success at work Used in most Western cultures Not in non-Western as much Are standardized Not as much as non-Western and 2nd-3rd world countries

Are There Multiple Intelligences? : Are There Multiple Intelligences? Social Intelligence the know-how involved in comprehending social situations and managing oneself successfully Emotional Intelligence ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions

Slide 32 : Daniel Goleman’s Theory of Emotional Intelligence The ability to feel, deal with, and recognize emotions makes up its own kind of intelligence. Emotional self-awareness: knowing what we are feeling and why Managing and harnessing emotions: knowing how to control and respond to feelings appropriately Empathy: knowing what another person is feeling Aspects of this theory include:

Slide 33 : Creativity Intelligence and creativity are somewhat, but not closely, related. People who are creative tend to excel in one area. One measure of creativity is the ability to break set, or think about something in an entirely new way to problem solve.

Intelligence and Creativity : Intelligence and Creativity Creativity the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas expertise imaginative thinking skills venturesome personality intrinsic motivation creative environment

The Normal Curve : The Normal Curve

Getting Smarter? : Getting Smarter? Flynn Effect

Intelligence Extremes: MR : Intelligence Extremes: MR Mental Retardation: Sub-average mental ability accompanied by deficiencies in adaptive skills Originating before age 18 Measure adaptive and everyday living skills IQ score of 70-75 or below= mental retardation

Intelligence Extremes: MR : Intelligence Extremes: MR One cannot be called mentally retarded because of intellectual ability to perform on exams. It has to be accompanied by other deficiencies 70 or below may be considered learning disabled, or mild to moderate learning disabled.

Intelligence Extremes: MR : Intelligence Extremes: MR 2-3% of the school age population is mentally retarded. Four levels of MR Mild Moderate Severe Profound The majority of those with MR fall into the mild category

Intelligence Extremes: MR : Intelligence Extremes: MR 15% of those with MR are obviously mentally retarded Most are not obvious at all What causes MR? Organic conditions Down syndrome, phenylketonuria, and hydrocephaly Unknown causes usually result in milder forms of MR

Down Syndrome : Down Syndrome Genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. tend to have a lower than average cognitive ability, often ranging from mild to moderate learning disabilities

Phenylketonuria : Phenylketonuria an inherited disease due to faulty metabolism of phenylalanine, characterized by phenylketones in the urine and usually first noted by signs of mental retardation in infancy

Hydrocephaly : Hydrocephaly an abnormal condition in which cerebrospinal fluid collects in the ventricles of the brain; in infants it can cause abnormally rapid growth of the head and bulging fontanelles and a small face; in adults the symptoms are primarily neurological  Fontanelles: Any of the soft membranous gaps between the incompletely formed cranial bones of a fetus or an infant. Also called soft spot.

Intelligence Extremes: Giftedness : Intelligence Extremes: Giftedness Giftedness Should not be identified only by IQ tests Although many schools do Includes special abilities Book smart, talents, abilities, etc… Most school districts consider 2-3% of an IQ distribution an indicator of giftedness So if 100 is the mean, then 130 would be giftedness

Intelligence Extremes: Giftedness : Intelligence Extremes: Giftedness Stereotypes of gifted children Weak, nerdy, adult-like, sickly Truth about gifted children Tend to do better in everything they do More outgoing Have more friends Do well in most events Excel in school

Intelligence Extremes: Giftedness : Intelligence Extremes: Giftedness Background of Gifted Children Usually come from unbroken homes Both a mother and a father present Family lives are healthy No substance, drug, or physical abuse They are generally above average in every way.

Intelligence Extremes: Giftedness : Intelligence Extremes: Giftedness Difference between moderately and profoundly gifted children Moderately gifted Much different than profoundly gifted children Profoundly gifted Tend to be introverted, socially isolated, and emotionally fatigued Mental illness sometimes present

Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing Psychometricians Measurement psychologists Focus on methods for acquiring and analyzing psychological data Measure mental traits, abilities, and processes

Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing Standardization and Norms: Constructs Hypothetical abstractions related to behavior and defined by groups of objects or events Standardization Two-part test development procedure establishes test norms from the test results of the large representative assures that the test is both administered and scored uniformly for all test takers Norms Standards used to compare scores of test takers

Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing Ethics and Standards in testing APA and other guidelines detail standards to promote best interests of client guard against misuse Respect client’s right to know results Safeguard dignity Informed consent needed Confidentiality guaranteed Cultural relevant tests- test skills and knowledge related to cultural experiences of the test takers

Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing More on degree’s of Mental Retardation Mild- IQ 50-70 Can self-care, hold job, may live independently, form social relationships Moderate- IQ 35-49 May self-care, hold menial job, function in group home Severe- IQ 20-34 Limited language and self-care, lack social skills, require care Profound- IQ under 20 Require complete custodial care

Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing Factor Analysis A statistical procedure that identifies common factors among groups of items by determining which variable have a high degree of correlation Charles Spearman used factor analysis to identify g : general factor underlying all intelligence s : less important specialized abilities

Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing Thurstone’s Primary Mental Abilities Seven distinct intelligence factors John Horn and Raymond Cattell identified two intelligence factors: Fluid intelligence Those cognitive abilities requiring speed or rapid learning that tends to diminish with adult aging Crystallized intelligence Learned knowledge and skills, such as vocabulary, which tends to increase with age

Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner’s theory that people process information differently and intelligence is composed of many different factors, including at least eight intelligences Logical-mathematical Verbal-linguistic Spatial Bodily-kinesthetic Musical Interpersonal and intrapersonal Naturalistic

Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing Emotional Intelligence EQ Peter Salovey’s and John Mayer’s construct defined as the ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions Similar to Gardner’s interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences.

Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing : Other topics in Intelligence and Psychological Testing Triarchic theory of intelligence Robert Sternberg’s idea of three separate and testable intelligences: Analytical (facts) Practical (street smarts) Creative (seeing multiple solutions)

Slide 57 : Issues in Intelligence Testing Individual vs. group testing: Group I.Q. testing can give fairly accurate results, but relies on verbal testing only. The average range of error in I.Q. scores is about seven points. The Supreme Court has ruled that I.Q. test results cannot determine placement of children in schools. Cultural bias in the creation of test questions may discriminate against minority populations.