Intelligence Project

Question 1

Threshold Hypothesis

Answer 1

Specific to creativity, a certain level of intelligence is necessary but not sufficient for creativity, no correlation at high levels. Evidence is mixed.

Question 2

Perfect pitch

Answer 2

Thought to be a 1 in 10,000 occurrence, it is more common in people speaking tonal languages and was taught to every one of the children in a 1.5 year study

Question 3

Growth mindset

Answer 3

Belief that intelligence can be changed through effort. Evidence that this can be changed is weak.

Question 4

Grit

Answer 4

Ability to persevere in the face of challenges. Evidence that this can be changed is weak.

Question 5

Preterm births

Answer 5

Lead to lower scores on cognitive tests, math tests, reading tests, behavior assessments, motor control, etc

Question 6

Some examples of human progress

Answer 6

Marathon record dropped by 30%, Olympic dives recommended banned now competed by 10 year olds, Steve Faloon’s memory feats

Question 7

Constrained vs unconstrained skills

Answer 7

Constrained are finite - letters of the alphabet, basic letter-sound correspondence. Unconstrained is stuff like knowledge. Unconstrained more correlated with outside variables.

Question 8

Flynn Effect

Answer 8

The gradual but substantial and long-sustained increase in IQ scores over time across the world. Some evidence of reversal in northern Europe.

Question 9

g-loading

Answer 9

How much a particular skill is correlated with the hypothetical general intelligence g

Question 10

Deliberate practice

Answer 10

Explains from 0% to 26% of variability in Macnamara et al meta-analysis, higher values for more predictable domains

Question 11

Polygenic index vs college completion

Answer 11

Similar explanatory power to family income

Question 12

GWAS

Answer 12

Genome-wide association study, used to create a polygenic index

Question 13

Polygenic index percent of outcomes explained

Answer 13

Typically 10-15%, a bit more than income-higher education, a bit less than height-weight

Question 14

Rough heritability of intelligence as measured by IQ (Ritchie)

Answer 14

50%

Question 15

Counterfactual: why genetic causal claims can be confusing

Answer 15

If a society refused to send redheads to school, genes for red hair would seem to be associated with educational outcomes

Question 16

Positive manifold

Answer 16

Broad trend that different measures of cognitive ability tend to be highly correlated, seen as evidence of underlying g

Question 17

Fluid vs crystallized intelligence

Answer 17

Fluid more connected to reasoning and working memory, more correlated with intelligence, doesn’t change much. Crystallized more connected to knowledge and long-term memory, grows over time.

Question 18

Matthew Effect

Answer 18

Those who start with an advantage accumulate more advantage over time

Question 19

Flynn Effect differential

Answer 19

The gains are largely due to increases at the bottom of the spectrum

Question 20

Genetic effects on differences measured at age 10 months

Answer 20

None

Question 21

Heritability of executive function

Answer 21

Nearly 100%

Question 22

Outcome of chess instruction

Answer 22

Kids get better at chess, null on academic and non-cognitive outcomes

Question 23

Percent of variance in learning attributable to teachers/schools (Detterman)

Answer 23

10%

Question 24

Average effect size in education RCTs, Dietrichson

Answer 24

0.06

Question 25

Summary of pre-k research (DeBoer)

Answer 25

Mixed bag, more recent and randomized studies show much smaller (sometimes negative) effects

Question 26

Throughout childhood, genetic influences on cognitive ability

Answer 26

Increase

Question 27

Male/female differences in polygenic predictions of educational attainment historically

Answer 27

Increased access to education increased genetic inequality

Question 28

Examples of interventions that narrow genetic inequality

Answer 28

Association between genetics and obesity reduced, association between genetics and alcoholism eliminate, association between genetics and math courses taken reduced

Question 29

Raven’s matrices and working memory

Answer 29

When under time pressure, working memory and fluid reasoning are the same. They diverge a bit without time pressure

Question 30

Fluid intelligence vs crystallized intelligence

Answer 30

Fluid is more correlated with g and seems to be mostly working memory + processing speed. Crystallized is more about long-term memory.

Question 31

Executive function interventions

Answer 31

Rarely show results in follow-up assessment

Question 32

Executive function is maybe just (Loffler)

Answer 32

Processing speed

Question 33

Polygenic score/learning rate effect (Youn et al, Harden)

Answer 33

Practice seems to narrow genetic effects

Question 34

Cognitive components of athletics

Answer 34

Pattern recognition in volleyball/baseball accounts for much of skill differences, baseball players can’t hit a softball pitch

Question 35

Ackerman’s study

Answer 35

Air traffic control simulation, larger ability correlations in the arrivals condition, individual differences increase with practice in that condition (?)

Question 36

Modern evidence that practice widens gaps

Answer 36

Zerr et al, Lithuanian words study. Lots of potential confounders but still really interesting.