INTELLIGENCE INTELLIGENCE ACROSS CULTURESACROSS CULTURES

LECTURE OUTLINELECTURE OUTLINE

I Background and objectivesI Background and objectives II Intelligence and its measurementII Intelligence and its measurement

Generalized mental ability (g)Generalized mental ability (g) Intelligence testsIntelligence tests IQIQ Lay notions of intelligenceLay notions of intelligence

LECTURE OUTLINELECTURE OUTLINE(cont)(cont)

III Intelligence in cultural contextIII Intelligence in cultural context Cultural variations in notions of intelligenceCultural variations in notions of intelligence Intelligence as adaptation to the environmentIntelligence as adaptation to the environment Intelligence and schoolingIntelligence and schooling Successful intelligenceSuccessful intelligence

IV Testing intelligence across culturesIV Testing intelligence across cultures V ConclusionsV Conclusions

I ObjectivesI Objectives

To consider the nature of intelligence and To consider the nature of intelligence and its meaning across culturesits meaning across cultures

To explore the assessment of intelligence To explore the assessment of intelligence across culturesacross cultures

II Intelligence and its II Intelligence and its measurement measurement

Generalized versus specific abilitiesGeneralized versus specific abilities G (generalized intelligence; Spearman, 1927)G (generalized intelligence; Spearman, 1927) Specific factors: Verbal, memory, reasoning, Specific factors: Verbal, memory, reasoning,

spatial (Thurstone, 1938)spatial (Thurstone, 1938) Fluid and crystallized intelligenceFluid and crystallized intelligence

INTELLIGENCE TESTSINTELLIGENCE TESTS

BinetBinet Stanford-BinetStanford-Binet Raven’s Progressive MatricesRaven’s Progressive Matrices WechslerWechsler

WAIS (for adults)WAIS (for adults) WISC (for children)WISC (for children)

WECHSLERWECHSLER

VerbalVerbal NonverbalNonverbal

InformationInformation Digit spanDigit span VocabularyVocabulary ArithmeticArithmetic ComprehensionComprehension SimilaritiesSimilarities

Picture completionPicture completion Picture arrangementPicture arrangement Block design Block design Digit symbolDigit symbol Object assemblyObject assembly

WECHSLERWECHSLERPicture completion Picture completion

WECHSLERWECHSLERPicture arrangementPicture arrangement

WECHSLERWECHSLER

Cultural Differences in IQCultural Differences in IQ

Median IQ in :Median IQ in :

Chinese in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan Chinese in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Chinaand China 110110

Japanese in JapanJapanese in Japan 103103 East Asians in North AmericaEast Asians in North America 103103

JapaneseJapanese (abstract) (abstract) 104.5104.5(spatial)(spatial) 114114

American and British American and British (abstract)(abstract) 100100(spatial)(spatial) 100100

Cultural Differences in IQCultural Differences in IQ

Median IQ in Hong Kong (Chan)Median IQ in Hong Kong (Chan)

Chinese Chinese 110110whitewhite 100100

Median IQ on Raven’s Progressive Matrices: Study of 9 year Median IQ on Raven’s Progressive Matrices: Study of 9 year olds (Lynn)olds (Lynn)

Hong KongHong Kong 113113JapanJapan 110110BritishBritish 100100

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Intelligent across cultures??Intelligent across cultures??

Lay notions of intelligence encompass practical problem solving, verbal and social competence abilities.

Law of cultural differentiation:Cultural factors prescribe what shall be learned and at what age; consequently different cultural environments

lead to the development of different patterns of ability. (Ferguson, 1956, p. 121)

CULTURAL CONCEPTIONS CULTURAL CONCEPTIONS OF INTELLIGENCEOF INTELLIGENCE

Luo of Kenya (Grigorenko et al., 1999)Luo of Kenya (Grigorenko et al., 1999)

riekorieko (knowledge and skills) (knowledge and skills)

luoroluoro (respect) (respect)

winjo winjo (understanding social roles) (understanding social roles)

paroparo (initiative) (initiative)

CULTURAL CONCEPTIONS CULTURAL CONCEPTIONS OF INTELLIGENCEOF INTELLIGENCE

Baganda (Wober) Baganda (Wober) intelligence as socially oriented behaviour to intelligence as socially oriented behaviour to

benefit the collectivebenefit the collective Shona (Irvine)Shona (Irvine)

UngwaruUngwaru (dispositional intelligence) (dispositional intelligence) UchenjeriUchenjeri (social intelligence) (social intelligence)

CULTURAL CONCEPTIONS CULTURAL CONCEPTIONS OF INTELLIGENCEOF INTELLIGENCE

Taiwanese (Yang & Sternberg) Taiwanese (Yang & Sternberg) intelligence includes a cognitive factor, intelligence includes a cognitive factor,

interpersonal and intrapersonal factors, interpersonal and intrapersonal factors, intellectual self assertion and intellectual self intellectual self assertion and intellectual self enhancementenhancement

CULTURAL CONCEPTIONS CULTURAL CONCEPTIONS OF INTELLIGENCEOF INTELLIGENCE

Comparative studies by KeatsComparative studies by Keats Australians place more emphasis on academic skills, Australians place more emphasis on academic skills,

reading, writing, speakingreading, writing, speaking Malays place more emphasis on social and practical Malays place more emphasis on social and practical

skillsskills Chinese place more emphasis on rote memoryChinese place more emphasis on rote memory

INTELLIGENCE AS INTELLIGENCE AS ADAPTATION TO THE ADAPTATION TO THE

ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT Mathematics in Brazilian street childrenMathematics in Brazilian street children

(Carraher et al., 1985)(Carraher et al., 1985) Nzelu and “intelligence” in Zimbabwe Nzelu and “intelligence” in Zimbabwe

(Serpell, 1979)(Serpell, 1979) Tacit knowledge and “intelligence” in Kenyan Tacit knowledge and “intelligence” in Kenyan

children children (Sternberg et al., 2001)(Sternberg et al., 2001)

Practical intelligence does not relate to “formal” intelligence or academic performance

What constitutes the components of intelligence is universal. The content that constitutes the application of these components is shaped by environmental and cultural factors.

SUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCESUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCE

Intelligence is defined in terms of the ability to Intelligence is defined in terms of the ability to achieve success in lifeachieve success in life

Ability to achieve success depends on Ability to achieve success depends on capitalizing on one’s strengths and capitalizing on one’s strengths and compensating for weaknessescompensating for weaknesses

Success is attained through the balance of Success is attained through the balance of analytical, practical and creative abilitiesanalytical, practical and creative abilities

Balance of abilities is achieved in order to adapt Balance of abilities is achieved in order to adapt to and shape the environmentto and shape the environment

MEASURING INTELLIGENCEMEASURING INTELLIGENCE

Catalogue activities that should be Catalogue activities that should be masteredmastered

Sample important tasks as a subset of Sample important tasks as a subset of activitiesactivities

Seek tasks that discriminate individualsSeek tasks that discriminate individuals Turn selected tasks into test itemsTurn selected tasks into test items

Because intelligence is embedded in culture, there can never be a culture-fair intelligence test.

Activities that are functional and adaptive, i.e., intelligent, varyacross cultures.

Cole

QUESTIONSQUESTIONS

Do we need a common definition of Do we need a common definition of intelligence?intelligence?

Will modernization make the concept of Will modernization make the concept of intelligence more similar across cultures?intelligence more similar across cultures?