1. Measuring intelligence Flashcards
Innate
Relating to a behaviour, ability, disposition or characteristic that is present from birth rather than being acquired through experience.
Craniometry
The study of people’s intellectual abilities based on the shape and size of their head.
Neurology
The scientific study of the brain and the nervous system.
Confirmatory bias
When a scientist’s expectations unconsciously influence the outcome of their research. This occurs because of the tendency to pay most attention to those features of a phenomenon that appear to confirm prior expectations.
Psychometrics
A field of study in psychology concerned with psychological measurement of things like attitudes, personality traits, mood or intelligence.
Personality
A person’s stable and enduring traits and characteristics which lead them to behave in a steady way over time
Personality types
Outgoing
Assertive
Perceptive
Emotional
Individual differences
Any characteristics that are susceptible to variation between individuals (ex. Personality or Intelligence)
Battery of tests
A series of tests aimed at measuring the same thing, such as intelligence.
Scale
Replaces the term “test” in the context of intelligence research
Set of questionnaire items or tasks which combine to measure a bigger construct that cannot be measured directly, such as intelligence or personality.
Test norm
Benchmarks used to assess an individual’s performance on intelligence tests. They offer insight into how a person’s test score compares with the scores of other test takers from the same population.
Test standardisation
The process of establishing test norms by administering the test to a large sample of the population for which the test is intended.
Correlation
A measure of an association between two events or things. In the case of an intelligence test, this means that those who perform well on one task will also do well on another.
General intelligence (g)
The factor believed to underpin performance on different tasks in an intelligence test.
Intelligence quotient (IQ)
A score on an intelligence test which indicates how a person’s intellectual ability compares to the general population.
Normal distribution
The assumption that characteristics which vary between people will be distributed across the population in such a way that values at or close to the average will be more frequent than extreme ones
Working memory
The kind of memory that is used for temporarily storing and managing information required to carry out a task.
Fluid intelligence
The ability to think logically and solve problems, which is independent of acquired knowledge or experience.
Crystallised intelligence
The ability to apply acquired skills, knowledge and experience to novel situations.
Theory
A set of propositions about a psychological phenomenon (e.g. intelligence) which forms the basis of an explanation.
Validity
The extent to which a test measures what it has been designed to measure.
The term “intelligence” in the Middle Ages
Was used to describe what differentiates “dull” and “bright” students
“Intelligence” in Ancient Greece
Philosophers debated extensively whether this ability is innate or the outcome of learning.
What tasks did Sir Francis Galton think help analyse intelligence?
Physical tasks:
- eyesight
- strength of grip
- colour vision
- hearing
- hand preference
