Child Psychology - Topic 1: Intelligence

Question 1

Background Research - Northstone

What is it?
What makes it reliable?
2 Results?

Answer 1

Did a longitudinal study of parents and children, using data on children’s diet reported by parents in food-frequency questionnaires at 3, 4, 7 and 8.5 years of age.

Reliability:

• IQ was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children at 8.5 years.

Results:

• Children with ‘processed’ (high fat and sugar content) pattern of diet at 3 years of age was negatively associated with IQ assessed at 8.5 years of age was negatively associated with a decrease in IQ
• The ‘health-conscious’ (salad, rice, pasta, fish, fruit) pattern at 8.5 years was positively associated with IQ

Question 2

Key Research - Van Leeuwen (Aim, Method, Sample, Procedure, Results)

Answer 2

Aim:

• to investigate whether biological factors and/or environmental factors might affect intelligence

Method:

• research article using an extended twin design.

Sample:

• Van Leeuwen used 112 families from the Netherlands Twin Registry.
• The twins were contacted on their 9th birthday and had a mean age of 9.1

Procedure:

1. DNA was taken from cheek swabs. At a lab cognitive testing took place which consisted of Raven Standard progressive matrices for children and Ravens advanced progressive matrices for adults.
2. The zygosity, how similar the twin’s genes were to each other was tested.

Results:

• found that there was no significant sex difference in IQ.
• Correlation between Monozygotic twins IQ scores was higher than the correlation between Dizygotic twins
• There was also a significant correlation between spousal IQ scores. It was found 67% of intelligence comes from Genetics and the rest is environmental influences.

Question 3

Application - RPM

What is it?
3 advantages?

Northstone application?

Answer 3

Raven’s Progressive Matrices is usually a 60-item test used in measuring abstract reasoning and regarded as a non-verbal estimate of fluid intelligence

Advantages:

• Can be used for those with language or perceptual difficulties
• Not culture based so allows comparisons
• They are non-verbal so autistic people can use it

Northstone concluded that:

• while a healthy diet, associated with high intakes of nutrient rich foods described at about the time of IQ assessment may be associated with small increases in IQ so parents should give nutrient rich diets to children