Interpretations and mechanisms of intelligence Flashcards
(32 cards)
interpretations of the psychometric approach
Psychometrics - ‘mind-measuring’
Largely descriptive
Looks at how different subfactors correlate - suggests something about the underlying structure of intelligence
About quantification of performance
how is performance quantified using the psychometric approach?
level of different abilities
structure of those abilities
overall ability
what key tests does the psychometric approach use?
- Stanford-Binet
- Wechsler Scales (WAIS / WISC)
- Woodcock-Johnson III
interpretations of the cognitive psychology approach
Underlying mental processes
Aim to explain as well as describe
What produces variations in performance?
Looks more directly at intelligence using theories from cognitive psychology
main components of cognitive psychology approach
brain size
elementary cognitive tasks
neuropsychology
what does cognitive psychology say about brain size?
the more neurons you have, the smarter you are
this is true across species, age, evolution
as you grow, you get smarter
animals with bigger brains are generally smarter
small correlation between brain size and IQ in humans (0.24)
BUT males tend to have larger brains but there is no difference in IQ between men and women
what does cognitive psychology say about elementary cognitive tasks?
smarter people have faster or more efficient neuronal firing
this could be the biological basis of g
faster performance of cognitive tasks correlates with faster neuronal firing
what types of cognitive tasks can be used to estimate how fast neurones fire?
inspection time
reaction time
evoked potentials
explain the cognitive task: inspection time
one of two figures flashed
both figures present
asked which one subject saw
can be visual or auditory
measuring accurate discrimination and recognition of stimuli
correlated with IQ (0.4)
explain the cognitive task: reaction time
simple reaction time - respond if stimulus appears by pressing key - degrades with age
choice reaction time - respond differently depending on which stimulus appears by pressing different keys
choice reaction time can be split into decision time and movement time
correlates with intelligence, health and mortality
average performance of these tasks correlates with IQ
variability in reaction time correlates with age and IQ
explain the cognitive task: evoked potentials
EEG ‘blip’ in response to stimulus
better performance –> efficient organisation of neurones –> higher IQ and intelligence
interpretations of neuropsychology
abilities are partly localised and modular
what clinical work shows that abilities are partly localised and modular?
Luria’s pioneering clinical work
explain Luria’s pioneering clinical work
abilities are partly localised and modular in different lobes and different parts of the cortex
e.g. language in left hemisphere and spatial in right hemisphere
some tasks are simultaneous meaning you must compare and integrate whereas other tasks are sequential meaning you must order and plan
what tests use Luria’s pioneering clinical work?
Das & Naglien’s Cognitive Assessment System (CAS)
Kaufman’s various ability tests
key features of a good intelligence test
variety of tasks
standardised administration
practical considerations
norm referencing
validity
why is a variety of tasks important for a good intelligence test?
provides more information
better measure of general ability
why is standardised administration important for a good intelligence test?
keeping everything the same reduces unwanted variation
why are practical considerations important for a good intelligence test?
important for feasibility and logistics e.g. how much time you have available
why is norm referencing important for a good intelligence test?
provides interpretative background
should be able to compare score to others
why is validity important for a good intelligence test?
the test must measure what it says it measures
the test must predict what it should predict
e.g. job performance: r=0.5
academic performance: r=0.5
these predict IQ better than other measures
crime: high IQ associated with less crime
what is necessary or sufficient for success?
validity? being able to do some stuff better
drive?
luck? right place right time
how is success measured?
success = ability (IQ) x drive (xluck)
the successful are higher in each - these are necessary conditions for success
higher in ability drive or luck does not mean they are successful - they are not sufficient for it
explain Terman’s ‘termites’ study
longitudinal study of people with IQs of 140-200
did better in life on average but not superbly
no nobel prize winners - meaningful contribution requires more than just a high IQ
