Intelligence

Question 1

intelligence

Answer 1

A mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

Question 2

Factor Analysis

Answer 2

A 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.

Question 3

General Intelligence (g)

Answer 3

A general intelligence that according to Spearman and others underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test.

Question 4

Savant Syndrome

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Emotional Intelligence

Answer 5

The ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.

Question 6

Creativity

Answer 6

The ability to produce novel and valuable ideas.

Question 7

Intelligence Test

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Mental Age

Answer 8

A measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance. thus a child who does as well as the average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8.

Question 9

Stanford-Binet

Answer 9

The widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet’s original intelligence test.

Question 10

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Aptitude Tests

Answer 11

A test designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.

Question 12

Achievement Tests

Answer 12

A test designed to assess what a person has learned.

Question 13

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

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 (Normal Distribution)

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 tie 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 of 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 (such as a driving test that samples driving skills).

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 predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior (also called criterion-related validity).

Question 21

Mental 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 the one’s genetic makeup.

Question 23

Stereotype Threat

Answer 23

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