#testing and differences

[studiousness]

impact of heredity & environment on intelligence

heredity - 

studies show that the IQ correlation in pairs of identical twins is greater than for pairs of fraternal twins

studies of adopted children show that IQs are more correlated with biological mother's IQ than adoptive mother's IQ

environment - 

studies of identical twins raised separately supports the hypothesis that environment is important in determining IQ

the correlation between IQ scores of identical twins raised apart is lower than that of identical twins raised together

early enrichment programs can have a positive impact on the IQ scores of children 

[studiousness]

lewis terman's study of gifted children

identified +1,500 California elementary school kids with IQs of 140 and up. 

conducted a longitudinal study by tracking their progress through school and into adulthood

called them, affectionately, the 'termites'

the gifted children went on to achieve a high level of academic and career success

while most of the 'termites' had happy, fulfilling lives, their high IQ scores didn't mean guaranteed success - as a group they had a divorce rate equal to the national average

[studiousness]

mental giftedness

term applied to individuals who score significantly above average in general intellectual functioning

only about 1-3% of people are classified as mentally gifted

[studiousness]

mental retardation

term applied to individuals who score significantly below average in general intellectual functioning

only about 1-3% of people are classified as mentally retarded

genetic abnormalities (ex: Down Syndrome) can cause retardation, as can prenatal exposure to alcohol and other drugs

[studiousness]

principles of test construction

standardisation: the test has been uniformly presented to a large, representative sample of people  - the scores of this representative group set the standards against which later test takers can be evaluated reliability: a test must produce consistent results when administered on repeated occasions validity: the ability to measure what it was designed to measure

[studiousness]

david wechsler & the wechsler intelligence scales

like the S-B test, Wechsler's test had a final, single IQ score

instead of using the S-B test's formula for calculating an IQ score, Wechsler determined how far a person's score deviates from the scores of others in the same group

group scores formed a bell-shaped curve

[studiousness]

development of intelligence tests

Alfred Binet - 

developed a series of tests to measure the mental abilities of school children, focusing on mental abilities such as memory and distinguishing similarities/differences. 

discovered that brighter children performed at the same level as older children - leading him to make a distinction mental and chronological ages. 

used his new test to get an average score for each age level, then compared each child's performance against a given age group's average abilities.  ex: if a 10-year old got the average score of a group of 8-year olds, it has the mental age of an 8-year old, regardless of the fact it is 10 chronologically

[studiousness]

howard gardner & multiple intelligences

different cultures recognise/value different abilities - ex: rulers of Austria prized and rewarded musical skills - Vienna became the music capital of Europe

musical intelligence is one of many "multiple intelligences" recognised and defined in a culture. 

Gardner's list of intelligences includes intelligence ranges from linguistic skills (writers) to kinesthetic skills (athletes)