Grant Clay

Period 3
10/19/08

AP Psychology Outline
Chapter 9: Intelligence & Psychological Testing

Red – Definition
Blue - Important Points
Green - Important People & Contributions

1. Key Concepts in Psychological Testing

a. Psychological Test – Standardized Measure of a Sample of a Person’s Behavior.
i. Used to Measure Individual Differences.
b. Types of Tests
i. Mental Ability Tests
1. Intelligence Tests – Measure General Mental Ability.
2. Aptitude Tests – Measure Specific Types of Mental Abilities.
a. Verbal Reasoning, Perceptual Speed, Accuracy, etc.
3. Achievement Test – Measure a Person’s Mastery and Knowledge of
Various Subjects.
a. Reading English, History, etc.
ii. Personality Tests – Measure Various Aspects of Personality, including Motives,
Interests, Values, and Attitudes.
c. Standardizing & Norms
i. Standardization – Uniform Procedures used in the Administration and Scoring
of a Test.
ii. Test Norms – Provide Information about Where a Score on a Psychological Test
Ranks in Relation to other Scores on that Test.
iii. Percentile Score – Indicates the Percentage of People who Score at or Below the
Score one has Obtained.
d. Reliability – Measurement of Consistency of a Test (Or to Other Kinds of Measurement
Techniques.)
i. Correlation Coefficient – A Numerical Index of the Degree of Relationship
between 2 Variables.
1. Closer to +1.00, the More Reliable Test is.
e. Validity – Ability of a Test to Measure what it was Designed to Measure.
i. Refers to Accuracy of Inferences or Decisions based on Test.
f. Content Validity – The Degree to which the Content of a Test is Representative of the
Domain it’s supposed to Cover.
g. Criterion-Related Validity – Estimated by Correlating Subject’ Scores on a Test with
their Scores on an Independent Criterion (Another Measure) of the Trait assessed by the
Test.
h. Construct Validity – The Extent to which Evidence Shows that a Test Measures a
Particular Hypothetical Construct.
2. Evolution of Intelligence Testing
a. Sir Francis Galton
i. Intelligence is Governed by Heredity. Nature.
ii. Success Runs in Families.
iii. Coined Phrase “Nature vs. Nurture.
iv. Wrote “Hereditary Genius” (1869)
b. Alfred Binet
i. First Mental Intelligence Test in 1905.
 ii. Designed Tests for Schools in France for Students.
iii. Mental Age – Indicates that He/She Displays the Mental Ability Typical of a
Child of that Age.
iv. Intelligence Increases with Development. Nurture.
c. Lewis Terman & Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.
i. Lewis Terman
ii. Revised Binet Tests in 1916.
iii. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) – A Child’s Mental Age divided by Chronological
Age, Multiplied by 100.
iv. Makes it Possible to Compare Children of Different Ages.
d. David Wechsler
i. Improved IQ Tests for Adults.
ii. Idealized Verbal & Nonverbal IQ’s.
e. Intelligence Testing Today
i. Individual Tests & Group Tests Today.
ii. Most likely Score Higher on Group Test.
3. Basic Questions: Intelligence Testing
a. IQ Questions are Diverse, Require to Furnish Information, Recognize Vocabulary, Figure
Patterns, Demonstrate Memory.
b. Meaning of IQ Scores
i. Normal Distribution – Symmetric, Bell-Shaped Curve that Represents the
Pattern in Which Many Characteristics are Dispersed in the Population.
ii. Deviation IQ Scores – Locate Subjects Precisely within the Normal Distribution,
Using Standard Deviation as the Unit of Measurement.
iii. Modern IQ Scores Indicate exactly where you Fall in the Normal Distribution of
Intelligence.
c. IQ Tests Measure a Blend of Potential & Knowledge.
d. IQ Tests are Exceptually Reliable, But Can still yield Unrepresentative Scores.
e. Intelligence Tests & Adequate Validity
i. IQ Tests are Reasonably Valid Indexes of Academic Intelligence.
ii. IQ Tests do not Measure all of Mental Ability.
iii. 3 Types of Intelligence
1. Verbal Intelligence
2. Practical Intelligence
3. Social Intelligence
f. Intelligence Tests & Success
i. People who Score High on IQ Tests are more Likely than those who Score Low
to End-Up in High-Status jobs.
ii. Debate About whether IQ Tests make Better Employees.
g. IQ Tests & Other Cultures
i. IQ Tests are More of a Western Idea.
4. Extremes of Intelligence
a. Mental Retardation – Sub-Average General Mental Ability Accompanied by Deficiencies
in Adaptive Skills, Originating Before are 18.
i. 2%-3% Of School Age Children are Mentally Retarded.
b. Ranges of Retardation
i. Mild = 51-70 IQ
ii. Moderate = 36 – 50 IQ
iii. Severe = 20-35 IQ
iv. Profound = Below 20 IQ
c. Origins of Retardation
i. Down Syndrome = Mild to Severe Retardation.
ii. Too Much Fluid in Cerebrospinal Area could Cause Retardation.
iii. Problems in Early Childhood Could Cause Retardation.
d. Giftedness
i. Upper 2%-3% In IQ Distribution are Gifted.
 e. Personal Qualities of “Gifted”
i. Average IQ around 130
ii. Above Average in Height, Weight, Strength, Physical Health, Emotional
Adjustment, Mental Health, and Social Maturity.
iii. Above Average in Social & Emotional Development.
iv. Ellen Winner – Profoundly Gifted People (IQ = 180 or Above) Are often
Introverted and Socially Isolated.
1. Emotional Problems in this Group are Twice as Much as Average.
f. Giftedness & Achievement in Life
i. Rarer Giftedness Makes lasting Contributions to the World.
ii. Depends on 3 Factors in the Individual.
1. High Intelligence
2. High Creativity
3. High Motivation
iii. Drudge Theory of Exceptional Achievement – Eminence Primarily or Partially
Relies upon…
1. Dogged Determination
2. Endless/Tedious Practice
3. Outstanding Mentoring & Training
iv. Quality Training, Monumental Effort, and Perseverance are Crucial Factors in
Greatness.
g. Heredity & Environment as Determinants of Intelligence
i. Early Studies believed Heredity Influenced Intelligence Only.
ii. Both Heredity and Environment Influence Intelligence.
iii. Evidence for Hereditary Influence
1. Twin Studies are Best Way to Study Role of Heredity in Intelligence.
2. Identical Twins are Closer Related in Intelligence than Fraternal Twins.
a. Supports Idea Intelligence is Inherited.
3. Influence of Heredity increases with Age
4. Heritability Ratio – An Estimate of the Proportion of Trait Variability
in a Population that is Determined by Variations in Genetic Inheritance.
iv. Evidence for Environmental Influence
1. Cumulative Deprivation Hypothesis – Environmental Deprivation led
to Predicted Erosion of IQ Scores.
2. Flynn Effect – IQ Performance has been Rising Steadily all Over the
Industrialized World Since 1930’s/
v. Heredity & Environment
1. Sandra Scarr
a. Heredity Sets Limits for Intelligence, Environment
Determines where Individual Falls in These Limits.
b. Reaction Range – Genetically Determined Limits on IQ.
h. Cultural Differences in IQ Scores
i. Average IQ for Minority Groups is Lower than Average IQ for Whites.
1. Explanations are Heritability, Socioeconomic Disadvantages,
Stereotype Vulnerability, and Cultural Bias on IQ Tests.
2. Arthur Jenson – Argued that differences in Cultural IQ Scores had
somewhat to do with Heredity.
a. Also Idealized Bell Curve.
5. New Directions in Assessment & Study of Intelligence
a. Arthur Jensen – Studies Show a Correlation between Raw Mental Speed and Intelligence.
(.3)
b. Head Size is a Very Crude Index of Intelligence. (.15)
c. Brain Mass is a Debatable Measure of IQ. (.35)
6. Investigating Cognitive Processes in Intelligent Behavior
a. Robert Steinberg
i. Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence
 1. Contextual Sub-Theory – Intelligence is a Culturally Defined Concept.
2. Experimental Sub-Theory – Intelligence deals with Learning new
Tasks and Associating with Old Tasks.
3. Componential Sub-Theory – Three Types of mental Processes that
Intelligent Though Depends on.
a. Analytical Intelligence – Abstract Reasoning, Evaluation, and
Judgment.
b. Creative Intelligence – Ability to Generate new Ideas and be
Inventive with New Problems.
c. Practical Intelligence – Ability to deal Effectively with Kinds
of Problems people deal with in Everyday Life.
i. Tacit Knowledge – What One Needs to know to
Work Efficiently in an Environment that is not taught
or Verbalized.
7. Expanding the Concept of Intelligence
a. Howard Gardner
i. “List of Multiple Intelligencies.”
ii. Logical/Mathematical, Linguistic, Musical, Spatial, Bodily/Kinesthetic,
Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalist.
8. Measuring Emotional Intelligence
a. Emotional Intelligence – Ability to Perceive and Express Emotion, Assimilate Emotion in
Thought, Understand and Reason with Emotion, and Regulate Emotion.