Chapter 11: Intelligence

Question 1

Intelligence Test

Answer 1

a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores. -

Question 2

Mental Age

Answer 2

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance. -

Question 3

Stanford-Binet

Answer 3

the widely used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence test. -

Question 4

Intelligence Quotient

Answer 4

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (thus, IQ = ma/ca × 100). On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100. -

Question 5

Intelligence

Answer 5

the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations. -

Question 6

Factor Analysis

Answer 6

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score. -

Question 7

General Intelligence

Answer 7

According to Spearman and others, underlies all mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test. -

Question 8

Savant Syndrome

Answer 8

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing. -

Question 9

Emotional Intelligence

Answer 9

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions. -

Question 10

Creativity

Answer 10

the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas. -

Question 11

Aptitude Test

Answer 11

a test designed to predict a person’s future performance; capacity to learn. -

Question 12

Achievement Tests

Answer 12

tests designed to assess what a person has learned. -

Question 13

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Answer 13

the WAIS is the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests. -

Question 14

Standardization

Answer 14

defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested standardization group. -

Question 15

Normal Curve

Answer 15

the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes. -

Question 16

Reliability

Answer 16

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternate forms of the test, or on retesting. -

Question 17

Validity

Answer 17

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to. -

Question 18

Content Validity

Answer 18

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest. -

Question 19

Criterion

Answer 19

the behavior (such as future college grades) that a test (such as the SAT) is designed to predict; thus, the measure used in defining whether the test has predictive validity. -

Question 20

Predictive Validity

Answer 20

The success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior. -

Question 21

Mental Limitations (Retardation)

Answer 21

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life; varies from mild to profound. -

Question 22

Down Syndrome

Answer 22

a condition of retardation and associated physical disorders caused by an extra chromosome in one’s genetic makeup. -

Question 23

Stereotype Threat

Answer 23

a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype. -