Huh?

Module 13What is “intelligence”?Who do you think are intelligent people?Why?Is intelligence the same thing as smart?

DefinitionsPeople define “intelligence” in different ways.Your text explores three different ways of

defining intelligence

Two-factor Theory• A psychometric approach which measures

cognitive ability thought to be involved in intellectual performance

• Developed by Spearman in 1904• Intelligence has 2 factors:

– General mental ability factor (g) measuring what tasks have in common

– Specific factors (s) including specific abilities such as mathematical or verbal skills

More two-factor theory• Today, “g” is defined and measured by a person’s

performance on standard tests. This is what we call an IQ score.

• IQ was developed by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon (1905) as a way of identifying children in need of extra academic support

• IQ is a persons “mental age” divided by their “chronological age” and then multiplied by 100.

• ie. A 12 year old who can only perform tasks at a 6-year old level would have an IQ defined as 6/12x100 = 50

Yet more 2-factor stuff• IQ scores are largely used to compare

students academically or to rate them in terms of mental disability. It does not take into account musical, motor or inter-personal skills.

• It is a reliable predictor of academic performance

• It is not a good predictor of ability outside traditional white western culture.

Multiple-intelligence theory• Gardner (1999) defined at least 9 different

types of intelligence: verbal, musical, logical-mathematical, inter-personal, intra-personal, spatial, kinesthetic, naturalistic and existential

• He based this on abilities which remain after brain-damage occurs

• Advantage: different skills are recognized as intelligence

• Disadvantage: difficult to find a standard measure

Triarchic Theory• Sternberg (2003) also felt that g was too

narrow a theory.• Triarchic theory recognizes 3 components of

reasoning process:– Analytical skills such as those measured by IQ– Creative problem-solving skills and learning

from experience– Practical thinking skills for coping with the

socio-cultural environment

More Triarchic TheoryAdvantages: does not limit intelligence to

cognitive abilitiesDisadvantage: a new theory with little

scientific support so far

Current IdeasWhile IQ is predictive of academic success, it

is not a good measure of career success.Multiple intelligences are beginning to be the

recognized measure of a person’s abilities by employers.

What does a score mean?Tests which measure ability, and are widely

used, must be both valid and reliable (as all good scientific systems should be).

Valid – the tests measures what it is supposed to measure

Reliable – the test is consistent: what a person scores today will be the same as a similar test taken at another time.

IQ tests on-linehttp://www.psychtests.com/tests/iq/index.

htmll

More about IQ100 is the middle point for IQ scores (the

“average”). Points fall to either side in a bell curve.

95% of IQ scores fall between 70 and 130Below 70 is considered “mild retardation”

which is a medical term onlyOver 130 is considered gifted.

Concerns:IQ tests may be biased in the following ways:

RaciallyCulturallySociallyIndividuals with test or social anxiety

InfluencesThe “heritability” of IQ is about 50%. So

genetic factors contribute to about half of what we consider intelligence

“Reaction range” is the amount of IQ affected by environmental factors. These may cause IQ to increase or decrease by as much as 10-15 points. Environmental factors are very early influences: IQ cannot be significantly changed after early childhood, although ability can be enhanced.

Thinking …