Unit 11: Testing and Individual Differences

L. L. Thurstone

7 clusters of primary mental abilities: word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning, and memory.

savant syndrome

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing

intellectual disability

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence test score of 70 or below and difficulty adapting to the demands of life

Down Syndrome

a condition of mild to severe intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21

cohort

a group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as from a given time period

mental age

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age; thus, a child who does as well as an average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8

intelligence test

a method for assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores

stereotype threat

a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype

factor analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person's total score

achievement test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

aptitude test

a test designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn

If Lanie is able to tell when her husband is upset by noticing subtle changes in his facial expressions, she might be said to have a high degree of a. emotional intelligence b. naturalistic intelligence c. practical intelligence d. spatial intelligence e. adaptive intelligence

a. emotional intelligence

Charles Spearman's g refers to a. general intelligence b. grouped intelligence factors c. genetic intelligence d. generated creativity e. generalized reliability

a. general intelligence

Researchers studying the effects of genes on intelligence have found that a. intelligence is affected by many genes working together b. there is a gene that is involved in the intelligence of men but not women c. there is a gene that is involved in the intelligence of women but not men d. a single gene is involved in the intelligence of both men and women e. there is no evidence that genes play a role in intelligence

a. intelligence is affected by many genes working together

According to Carol Dweck, students are often hampered by a "fixed mindset." This means they believe a. intelligence is biologically set and unchangeable b. it is never good to change your mind once it is made up c. intelligence is changeable d. they have already done everything they can to improve e. problems can only be solved in a particular way

a. intelligence is biologically set and unchangeable

Which of the following provides the best evidence that race is more of a social construct than a biological category? a. people of varying ancestry may categorize themselves as having the same race b. scores on tests of mental abilities vary by race c. behavior traits are associated with race d. skin cancer rates vary by race e. the incidence of high blood pressure varies by race

a. people of varying ancestry may categorize themselves as having the same race

The purpose of Alfred Binet's early intelligence test was to a. predict how children would do in school b. identify differences among ethnic and racial groups c. help French graduates find the occupation in which they were most likely to succeed d. establish the scientific definition of intelligence e. facilitate "genetic breeding" experiments

a. predict how children would do in school

Students who do well on college entrance exams generally do well in their first year of college. This helps establish that these exams have a. predictive validity b. split-half reliability c. content validity d. test-retest reliability e. standard validity

a. predictive validity

If a test yields consistent results upon retesting, it can be said to have a high degree of a. reliability b. validity c. content validity d. predictive validity e. normal curve

a. reliability

general intelligence (g)

according to Spearman and others, underlies all mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test

People are said to have an intellectual disability if they have difficulty adapting to the demands of independent living and have IQ scores below a. 60 b. 70 c. 80 d. 90 e. 100

b. 70

Which of the following best represents crystallized intelligence? a. Jake can solve math word problems quickly b. Grandpa Milt is good at crossword puzzles c. Aliyah has a knack for training dogs d. Anna writes creative computer programs e. Heng takes a different route each day on his walk

b. Grandpa Milt is good at crossword puzzles

The most widely used modern intelligence test was developed by a. Alfred Binet b. Louis Terman c. Robert Sternberg d. David Wechsler e. Howard Gardner

b. Louis Terman

According to Charles Spearman and others, __________ underlies specific mental abilities and is measured by every task on an intelligence task. a. savant syndrome b. general intelligence (g) c. factor analysis d. intelligence e. emotional intelligence

b. general intelligence (g)

The original formula for a child's intelligence quotient compared a child's a. aptitude to his or her school performance b. mental age to his or her chronological age c. intelligence to his or her siblings' intelligence d. intelligence to his or her parents' intelligence e. math intelligence to his or her verbal intelligence

b. mental age to his or her chronological age

Howard Gardner found evidence of multiple intelligences in individuals who scored low on intelligence but had an area of exceptional ability—for example, to make complex calculations. These people have a. the Flynn effect b. savant syndrome c. advanced mental age d. Wechsler syndrome e. intelligence heritability

b. savant syndrome

According to most experts, intelligence tests are not biased because a. the average scores for various racial and ethnic groups do not differ by much b. the tests do a pretty good job of predicting what they are supposed to predict c. cultural background has little influence on test scores d. scores on the test are not very stable even when you don't consider race e. scores are increasing for almost all groups because of the Flynn effect

b. the tests do a pretty good job of predicting what they are supposed to predict

If approached on the street by a stranger and asked to make a guess about their IQ score, your best guess would be a. 50 b. 75 c. 100 d. 125 e. 150

c. 100

Hal scored an 89 on an intelligence test when he was 16. Now, at age 56, he is interested in what his score would be as an adult. The score he is most likely to earn on the new test would be a. 49 b. 70 c. 92 d. 129 e. 140

c. 92

Which of the following individuals would best represent our understanding of fluid versus crystallized intelligence? a. James is 80 and has just solved a math equation that has been puzzling him for the last 40 years b. Luis is 22 and has written several successful novels c. Alice is 25 and has discovered a new chemical element d. as a high school student, Alex changed the way people though about a local homeless man by doing research into his life e. after watching the sky for 50 years Nate finally discovered a new planet

c. Alice is 25 and has discovered a new chemical element

Which of the following is the best example of an aptitude test? a. Atul answers questions about the rules of the road b. Mr. Anderson's AP psychology test covers the material from the current unit c. Sherjeel takes the ACT for college admission d. Jeffrey is required to translate 50 Mandarin sentences for his final exam e. Lucy and Meghan discuss what they might study in college

c. Sherjeel takes the ACT for college admission

Intellectual disability is defined by both IQ and which of the following? a. chronological age b. mental age c. adaptive ability d. physical condition e. heritability

c. adaptive ability

An intelligence test that asks a person how many uses they can think of for a golf ball is most likely testing a person's ___________ intelligence. a. linguistic b. practical c. creative d. spatial e. analytical

c. creative

Achievement tests are to aptitude tests as a. verbal performance is to spatial performance b. elementary school skills are secondary school skills c. measurement is to prediction d. reliability is to validity e. general intelligence is to multiple intelligences

c. measurement is to prediction

Which of the following is one of Robert Sternberg's types of intelligences? a. naturalistic intelligence b. general intelligence c. practical intelligence d. savant intelligence e. kinesthetic intelligence

c. practical intelligence

Victor is blind, unable to speak, and understands very few words. He is, however, able to hear a piece of music once and play it back flawlessly on the piano. Victor's abilities best represent someone with a. analytical intelligence b. a high g factor c. savant syndrome d. emotional intelligence e. interpersonal intelligence

c. savant syndrome

Heritability of intelligence refers to a. the extent to which a person's intelligence is caused by genetics b. the effect of adoption on the intelligence of adopted children c. the amount of group variation in intelligence that can be attributed to genetics d. the extent to which the quality of schools and other environmental factors determine intelligence e. the correlation between intelligence test scores of identical twins

c. the amount of group variation in intelligence that can be attributed to genetics

What is the benefit of standardizing an intelligence test? a. to counter rising intelligence test scores b. to measure the extent to which the test actually predicts what it promises c. to provide a basis for comparing scores against a pretested group d. to determine if the test yields dependably consistent results e. to calculate the relative effects of nature and nurture on intelligence

c. to provide a basis for comparing scores against a pretested group

Charles Spearman

creator of "g", or general intelligence concept; he granted that people often have special, outstanding abilities; worked with factor analysis

If the scores on an intelligence test form a normal curve with a standard deviation of 15, a. the mean, median, and mode are 100 b. 68 percent of scores are between 85 and 115 c. 60 percent of test-takers earned at least a 100 d. a and b only are true e. a, b, and c are true

d. a and b only are true

Which of the following is true of the mental similarities between adoptive children and their adoptive parents over time? a. adoptive children become much more similar to their adoptive parents over time b. adoptive children become slightly more similar to their adoptive parents over time c. there is hardly any similarity when the adoptive children are young or when they are older d. adoptive children become slightly less similar to their adoptive parents over time e. adoptive children become much less similar to their adoptive parents over time

d. adoptive children become slightly less similar to their adoptive parents over time

Heritability relates to the a. percentage of a person's intelligence that is due to environmental influences b. percentage of a person's intelligence that is due to genetics c. correlation of intelligence test scores among family members d. extent to which variability among individuals' intelligence scores can be attributed to genetic variation e. genetic stability of intelligence over time

d. extent to which variability among individuals' intelligence scores can be attributed to genetic variation

A test developer defines uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group. Which of the following best describes this process? a. reliability testing b. validation c. content validation d. standardization e. predictive validity

d. standardization

There is a greater correlation between the IQ scores of identical twins raised together than for fraternal twins raised together. What conclusion can be drawn from this data? a. there is no significant hereditary contribution to intelligence b. there is no significant environmental contribution to intelligence c. there is no significant genetic or environmental effect on intelligence d. there is a genetic effect on intelligence e. there is an environmental effect on intelligence

d. there is a genetic effect on intelligence

intelligence quotient (IQ)

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (thus, IQ = ma/ca x 100); on contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100

standardization

defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group

David Wechsler

developed WAIS and WISC (IQ tests)

Robert Sternberg

devised the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence: analytical (academic problem-solving) intelligence, practical intelligence, and creative intelligence

Howard Gardner

devised theory of multiple intelligences: logical-mathematic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, linguistic, musical, interpersonal, naturalistic

Which of the following is a longitudinal study? a. researchers test the intelligence of all the students in a high school b. intelligence tests are given to the residents of a nursing home c. researchers randomly select 50 students from a high school with 2000 students; the 50 students are given intelligence tests d. a group of college juniors is given an extensive battery of tests over a period of 2 days e. a group of kindergartners is given an intelligence test; they are retested every other year for 30 years

e. a group of kindergartners is given an intelligence test; they are retested every other year for 30 years

Which of the following is true of boys compared with girls? a. boys have a higher average intelligence score b. boys are better spellers than girls c. boys are better at detecting emotions d. boys are more verbally fluent e. boys are more likely to be represented among those scoring extremely low as well as those scoring extremely high on tests of mental abilities

e. boys are more likely to be represented among those scoring extremely low as well as those scoring extremely high on tests of mental abilities

The Flynn effect refers to the a. superiority of certain racial and ethnic groups on intelligence tests b. extreme scores (very high and very low scores) that are more common for males than for females on math tests c. stereotype threat that might cause some Black students to underperform on standardized tests d. predictive ability of intelligence tests e. gradual increase in average intelligence score of the general population over the last several decades

e. gradual increase in average intelligence score of the general population over the last several decades

Which of the following is not a component of emotional intelligence? a. understanding emotions b. perceiving emotions c. using emotions d. managing emotions e. inventing emotions

e. inventing emotions

What would be true of a thermometer that always reads three degrees lower than the actual temperature? a. it is valid but not reliable b. it is both reliable and valid c. it is neither reliable nor valid d. it is not valid, but you cannot determine if it is reliable from the information given e. it is reliable but not valid

e. it is reliable but not valid

Which of the following can be used to demonstrate that only about 2 percent of the population scores at least two standard deviations above the mean on an intelligence test? a. reliability test b. aptitude test c. predictive validity test d. test-retest procedure e. normal curve

e. normal curve

Francis Galton

gave statistical techniques that we still use, although his quest for a simple intelligence measure failed

Alfred Binet

general IQ tests, designed test to identify slow learners in need of remediation-not applicable in the U.S. because too culture-bound (French)

Carol Dweck

growth mindset; thought that the need for achievement is closely linked to personality facts, including view of self; suggested students with long history of success are at most risk for learned helplessness after big failure of their own intelligence

grit

in psychology, grit is passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

fluid intelligence

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease with age, especially during late adulthood

crystallized intelligence

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

cross-sectional study

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time

longitudinal study

research that follows and retests the same people over time

Lewis Terman

revised Binet's IQ test and established norms for American children; tested group of young geniuses and followed in a longitudinal study that lasted beyond his own lifetime to show that high IQ does not necessarily lead to wonderful things in life

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

the WAIS and its companion versions for children are the most widely used intelligence tests; they contain verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests

intelligence

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

emotional intelligence

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions

normal curve

the bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes; most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes

validity

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

content validity

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest

reliability

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternative forms of the test, or on retesting

heritability

the proportion of variation among individuals in a group that we can attribute to genes; the heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied

predictive validity

the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior

Stanford-Binet

the widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet's original intelligence test