AP Psych unit 11

normal curve-

describes the distribution of many physical and psychologiical attributes, shown as a bell shaped pattern which puts most scores (average) in the middle and less and less towards each side.

intelligence test-

it is a test designed to measure a person's mental aptitude or inherent ability. The measure is taken, a number score is assigned, and then compared to others who've taken the same test.

mental age-

Binet actually developed tests to measure mental age and it measures a person's level of performance as it corresponds to their chronological age. For example, one child age 10 may be able do sophisticated math, read more effectively, and comprehend more than another child the same age. In this case we might say that one child has a mental age greater than the other and is more in line cognitively with people several years older.

validity-

All tests are designed to measure something; hopefully something specific. If the test does indeed measure what it is intended to measure, then we can say that the test is valid (or has validity).

content validity-

Content validity is an important research methodology term that refers to how well a test measures the behavior for which it is intended. For example, let's say your teacher gives you a psychology test on the psychological principles of sleep. The purpose of this test is to measure your knowledge or mastery of the psychological priniciples of sleep, right? If the test does indeed measure this, then it is said to have content validity -- it measures what it is supposed to measure.

standardization-

Defining meaningful scores relative to a pretested group. Consistency and objectivity of how tests are administered and scored.

factor analysis-

Factor analysis is a type of statistical procedure that is conducted to identify clusters or groups of related items (called factors) on a test. For example, when you take a multiple choice Introductory Psychology test, a factor analysis can be done to see what types of questions you did best on and worst on (maybe they did best on factual types of questions but really poorly on conceptual types of questions).

emotional intelligence-

Have you ever met someone, who, although normally intelligent, was very awkward or even inappropriate in social situations? This type of problem can be the result of low emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is an understanding of how words, actions, facial expressions and body language affect interactions and relationships between people.

Stanford-Binet-

Lewis Terman (from Stanford) modified Binet's mental age test and is what is used today.

savant syndrome-

People with savant syndrome typically score poorly on intelligence tests, but have specific talent or skill for which they are exceptional. For example, someone who may be of limited intelligence may be a remarkable painter or musician. Another example may be someone who is barely able to speak correctly but is a mathematical genius.

predictive validity-

Predictive validity is the extent to which performance on a test is related to later performance that the test was designed to predict. For example, the SAT test is taken by high school students to predict their future performance in college (namely, their college GPA). If students who scored high on the SAT tend to have high GPAs in college, then we can say that the SAT has good predictive validity. But if there is no significant relation between SAT sores and college GPA, then we would say the SAT has low or poor predictive validity, because it did not predict what it was supposed to.

stereotype threat-

Stereotype Threat is when worry about conforming to a negative stereotype leads to underperformance on a test or other task by a member of the stereotyped group (i.e., men, women). For example, we sometimes hear that men are better than women in math and science. A woman who is aware of this stereotype may try to fight it by getting a really high score on a math exam, but the anxiety and distraction caused by the stereotype may actually lead her to get a lower score on the exam than she would otherwise. Thus, women's performance in math may not be due to lower ability compared to men but to negative stereotypes.

general intelligence-

When you take an intelligence test you get an overall score and several specific scores. The overall score that you received, which is measured by all of the tasks on the test, is considered the representation of your general intelligence.

intellectual disability-

a condition of limited mental ability. People with this have an intelligence score of 70 or below and has difficulty adapting to the demands of life. Can be mild to profound.

Down syndrome-

a specific intellectual disability caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.

achievement tests-

a standardized test that is designed to measure an what a person has learned in a particular area.

aptitude tests-

aptitude refers to a person's capacity to learn. It should come as no surprise then that an aptitude test is a test designed to predict la person's future performance for a particular area or particular skills.

intelligence quotient- (IQ)

originally it was a person's mental age divided by their real (chronological) age x 100. Today the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100.

reliability-

refers to the extent to which a test or other instrument is consistent in its measures. If you put a 25 pound weight on a scale 10 times and each time you get a different reading, that information would not be useful because it is not consistent.

intelligence-

the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

the most widely used intelligence test and it measures the verbal and nonverbal abilities of adults.