Intelligence Flashcards
(27 cards)
IQ
IQ = (Mental age/Calendar age) x 100
Savanna-Intelligence principle
Movement across Africa created many problems that needed high intelligence - those who could solve them survived. Evolves through predator-prey interaction and challenging environments.
IQ Score Distribution
Falls into a bell curve with 68% of population between 85 and 115; then 14% for 70-85 and 115-130 and 2% for 55-70 and 130-145
Flynn effect
long-sustained increase in intelligence test scores measured in many parts of the world. Using the IQ values of today, the average IQ of US in 1932 is 80. Reasons include more preschool, testing skills, nutrition, educated parenting
Argument of “The Bell Curve” book
Central argument is that human intelligence is substantially influenced by financial income and parents’ socioeconomic/education status. Controversial statement that “both genes and the environment have something to do with racial differences”
The health effects of high IQ
Beter health and more likely to live longer.
4 theories of intelligence
Spearman - general and fluid factor
Thurstone - a person’s “pattern” of mental abilities
Gardener - multiple intelligences
Sternberg - Triarchic theory
Charles Spearman
Theorized that a general intelligence factor (g) underlies other more specific aspects of intelligence. Based on observation that people who do well on one test tend to do similarly well on others. Crystallized intelligence - learning from past experiences (memorization/experience); becomes stronger with age. Fluid intelligence - ability to think and reason abstractly to solve problems. Considered independent of learning, experience, and education (problem solving, etc). Fluid intelligence peaks in adolescence and begins to decline around 30-40
Louis Thurstone
Intelligence is a cluster of abilities. Believed that there were 7 different “primary mental abilities” each independent from the other. The g factor was just an overall average score of these independent abilities (ex. verbal comprehension, numerical ability)
Howard Gardner
Multiple intelligences consisting of eight separate kinds of intelligence - several independent mental abilities are defined within the context of culture. Linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic , interpersonal, interpersonal, naturalist
Sternberg
Triarchic theory - three mental abilities. Disagrees with Gardner in calling these intelligences = talents or abilities. Intelligence is a general quality. There are both universal and particularly adapted (social and cultural) intelligent behaviors. 3: Analytic intelligence (learning how to solve problems), creative intelligence (novel situations by drawing on existing skills), practical intelligence (adaptability)
Duncan et. al - neural basis for general intelligence using PET
Gave a group of images that required participants to find the panel that differed - could be any property, abstract or complex. Subtracted areas activated in low-intensity/low-g problems from high-g problems. Found that high-g associated with lateral frontal cortex in one or both hemispheres, not diffuse recruitment of multiple brain regions
Fluid intelligence region
Involves increased activity in dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex. People with damage to this area do not perform as well on fluid intelligence tasks
Superior-g region
Posterior parietal cortex is particularly implicated. In test with adolescents using fMRI, found via regression analysis that activity of superior and intraparietal cortices strongly covered with individual differences in g. Superior-g may not be due to recruitment of additional brain regions but to the functional facilitation of the fronto-parietal network particularly driven by the posterior parietal activation
Einstein’s brain
Parietal lobes were 15% wider than regular ones. Also had rare pattern of grooves and ridges in the parietal regions of both sides of the brain. Language areas directly merge into math/spatial areas in brain. Einstein often claimed that he thought in images and sensations rather than in words - synthetic thinking may have risen from anatomy of brain.
Limitations of IQ tests
Can measure abstract thinking, problem solving, capacity to acquire knowledge. Yet cannot measure creativity, motivation, goal-oriented behavior, adaptability
Controversial correlates with IQ
Height, atheism, liberals, humor, homosexuality. On average, males score higher by 3-5, but if sociodemographic and health variables are controlled for, gender differences disappear
Impact of wealth on IQ
Income across US states is correlated with IQ
Childhood malnutrition - cognitive impairment.
Fetal growth and premature birth
Galton
Argued that genius and talent were hereditary. Influenced by Darwin. Concluded that artificial selection could increase fitness of human race (eugenics). However, this has been used for bad ends. His def “the science which deals with all influences that improve the inborn qualities of a race; also with those that develop them to the utmost advantage”
Dunning-Kruger effect
Cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, rating their ability much higher than average. Metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their mistakes. Incompetent people:
- Overestimate their skill
- Fail to recognize others’ skills
- Fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy.
Impostor syndrome
Psychological phenomenon where people cannot internalize accomplishments, despite external evidence of competence. Feel like frauds and that they don’t deserve.
Acquired savant syndrome
Jason Padgett - got attacked, concussion -> geometry
Musical talent - Derek Amato - hit his head in pool -> Piano
Improving fluid intelligence
People get better at the 2-back test over time. Individuals who perform the task become better and better at fluid intelligence.
Professor and Mozart effects
Professor - Subjects primed with words associated with stupidity do worse on 42 difficult multiple-choice questions from Trivial Pursuit and better with positive words.
Mozart - IQ score higher when listening to Mozart
