10. HISTORY OF INTELLIGENCDE Flashcards
(40 cards)
What are the two popular views of intelligence?
Entity theory (fixed at birth) and incremental theory (can develop over time).
What should we critically evaluate about intelligence?
The idea that intelligence is a quality an individual possesses inherently.
How might conscientiousness relate to success?
It can predict educational success, possibly more than intelligence.
What factors can contribute to being seen as intelligent apart from innate ability?
Overpraise, privileged environments, lucky circumstances, or access to social capital.
What does “implicit theories of intelligence” mean?
Unspoken beliefs people hold about what intelligence is and how it works.
Who was Sir Francis Galton and why is he important?
A child prodigy and explorer who pioneered intelligence measurement, coined “nature vs. nurture,” and promoted eugenics.
What methods did Galton introduce?
Surveys, regression to the mean, correlation, weather maps, fingerprinting.
What were Galton’s ideas about intelligence differences?
He believed intelligence differences were heritable and linked to sensory information processing.
What was Galton’s bottom line regarding measuring intelligence?
Intelligence could be assessed through sensory responsiveness tests.
Who was Alfred Binet and what was his major contribution?
A psychologist who developed the first true intelligence test, the Binet-Simon Scale.
What theory influenced Binet’s thinking?
Associationism (John Stuart Mill): sensory experiences combine into consciousness.
What was the purpose of the Binet-Simon Scale?
To identify special education needs in children by comparing mental and chronological age.
What kind of tasks were on the Binet-Simon test?
Tasks like tracking a lighted match with eyes and filling missing words in sentences.
What concept did Binet introduce that remains crucial today?
Mental age.
How did Lewis Terman adapt Binet’s work?
He revised it to create the Stanford-Binet test for American children.
How did the Stanford-Binet test differ from the original?
It was standardized with a sample of 1000 children and included new items.
Who introduced the idea of IQ?
William Stern, by using the ratio of mental age to chronological age.
Why was Robert Yerkes significant in intelligence testing?
He developed the Army Alpha test during WWI for rapid cognitive assessment.
What was the Army Alpha test like?
It involved oral and written questions testing reasoning, language, and practical judgement.
What was the Army Beta test for?
Non-English speakers or those with poor literacy, using nonverbal tasks like mazes and picture completion.
What theory did Charles Spearman propose?
General intelligence, or ‘g’, underlying all cognitive abilities.
What tests primarily measure ‘g’?
The Wechsler tests and Raven’s Progressive Matrices.
What is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)?
A standardized IQ test for adults measuring verbal and performance skills.
What is the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)?
A version of the Wechsler test adapted for children.
