This summary focuses on Human Intelligence. It contains: terminology, intelligence testing, theories of intelligence: single vs multiple factor view, fluid intelligence and crystallised intelligence, psychometric concepts, Psychometrics, South African perspective, extremes of intelligence, nature ...
Human Intelligence: a complex human ability, where mental processes are used to attend to
tasks, problem-solve and comprehend abstract ideas and information
Intelligence: the broader ability of acquiring and utilising complex mental skills
Intelligence Quotient (IQ): the numerical representation of the level of an individual’s intelligence
(calculated using standardised and scientific tools of measurements, such as intelligence tests)
Intelligence Testing – a Brief Historical Overview
Francis Galton: intelligence is inherited and passed down in families
Study subjects = upper class, had access to education
1904: Minister of Education in France asked Alfred Binet to create a test to identify mentally
‘subnormal’ children who could benefit from special education programs
Wanted a tool to determine intelligence that was both scientific and nonbiased
1905: Binet and Simon created a test that predicted children’s performance in school quite well:
The Binet-Simon Scale
It expressed a child’s score in term of ‘mental level’ or ‘mental age’
Revises and improved in 1908 and 1911
Scoring system didn’t allow comparisons of intelligence scores for children of different ages
Mental age: mental ability of a typical child at that age, e.g. if a child has a mental age of 5, it
means he performs at a level of a chronological 5-year old
Therefore: if your mental age is higher than your chronological age, you have an above average
intelligence
1912: William Stern – coined IQ = Intelligence Quotient
Mental age
IQ: x 100
Chronological Age
1916: Terman at Stanford University improved Binet’s test and adjusted to US children
The Stanford-Binet Intelligence scale:
Now all children of any age could be compared to each other on the scale
Stanford-Binet Intelligence scale is still used today
1939: Wechsler created first IQ test for adults
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) has two new features:
o Test was less dependent on one’s verbal ability compared to Stanford-Binet, had separate
scores for verbal and non-verbal IQ
o Create new scoring system based on the normal distribution instead of on a quotient
He also developed one for children: Wechsler Independent Scales for Children (WISC)
Normal distribution is a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that represents the pattern in
which many characteristics are dispersed in the population
Deviation IQ Scores: That locate respondents precisely within the normal distribution
Percentile Score: Indicates the percentage of people who score below the score one has
obtained
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, Theories of Intelligence
Core Perspective of Intelligence
2 theoretical perspectives of intelligence:
1. Single Factor View
Charles Spearman
Factor analysis: correlations (relationships) among many variables are analysed to identify
closely related clusters of variables
If many variables correlate highly with one another, it is assumed that one factor is
influencing them all. Factor analysis attempts to find these ‘hidden’ factors.
Spearman used to determine correlations among tests of many specific abilities.
Concluded that all cognitive abilities share an important core factor = general mental ability
(‘g’)
2. Multiple Factor View
Louis Thurstone
Intelligence is made up of many independent factors, cannot be seen as one factor
1941 – Chicago Tests of Primary Mental Abilities, included 7 measures = primary mental
abilities:
a. Word fluency
b. Verbal comprehension
c. Spatial ability
d. Perceptual speed
e. Numerical ability
f. Inductive Reasoning
g. Memory
Later found that all of these factors correlated – therefore maintaining single factor theory
Fluid Intelligence and Crystallised Intelligence
Catell: 2 facets of intelligence that make up ‘g’:
1. Fluid intelligence: an individual’s reasoning ability, memory capacity and information
processing speed
2. Crystallised intelligence: an individual’s ability to apply his/her knowledge and skills in
problem-solving
Modern IQ tests are divided into subtests – therefore psychologists can see overall mental ability
as well as strengths and weaknesses based on the tests
Aspects of intelligence = multi-faceted diamond – not independent of each other, but are
inextricably linked, making up a holistic construct of intelligence
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