AP Psychology | Chapter 10: Cognitive Abilities / Testing & Individual Differences

Norm

Description of the frequency at which particular scores occur, allowing scores to be compared statistically

David Wechsler & The WAIS / WISC

Designed a test to improve other tests (WAIS) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WISC) Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

Dysphasia

Difficulty understanding spoken words or recalling certain words for speech

Dyscalulia

Difficulty with arithmetic principles and operations, such as addition and subtraction

Construct Validity

Scores suggest that a test is actually measuring the theoretical construct, such as anxiety

Standardization

Similar conditions for all taking tests

Factors that can help or hinder (create difficulty) IQ / Standardized Test Scores

-Lack of care/attention -Poverty -Chaos in home

Longitudinal Study

A group of people are repeatedly tested as they grow older. Fewer members of a similar ages can be tested over time as death, physical disability, relocation, and lack of interest reduced the sample size.

Achievements Tests

A measure of what a person has accomplished or learned in a particular area

Aptitude Scale

A test designed to measure a person's capacity to learn certain things or perform certain tasks

IQ Test / Intelligent

A test designed to measure intelligence on an objective, standardized scale

Convergent Thinking

Ability to apply logic and knowledge to narrow down the number of possible solutions to a problem or perform some other complex cognitive task

Divergent Thinking

Ability to think along many alternative paths to generate many different solutions to a problem

Robert Sternberg & Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Analytic - Would help solve problems. Creative - What you would use to compose music Practical - To figure out what to do if you were stranded on a lonely road during a blizzard.

Intelligence

Attributes that center around skill at information processing, problem solving, and adapting to new or changing environments

Cross Sectional Study

Compares data collected at the same point in time from people of different ages. Information ↓↓ Cross-sectional studies contain a major confounding variable: because people are born at different times, they may have had very different educational, cultural, nutritional, and medical experiences.

Content Validity

Content of a test is a fair and representative sample of what the test is supposed to measure.

Henry Goddard

First to translate the Binet intelligence test into English

Raymond Cattell & Fluid vs Crystallized Intelligence

Fluid intelligence - Basic power of reasoning and problem solving. Crystallized intelligence - Specific knowledge gained as a result of applying fluid intelligence.

Charles Spearman G and S

G is a general intelligence factor for positive correlations between people's scores on all sorts of cognitive ability tests. S is a group of special abilities that accompanied general intelligence(g). S is specific information and skills needed for particular tasks.

Criteria Validity

How well test scores correlate with a measure of whatever the test is supposed to assess.

Earl Hunt & The Information-Processing Approach

IPA - Focuses on mental operations, such as attention and memory that underlie intelligent behavior. Earl Hunt believes people with greater intellectual ability have more attentional resources available.

Flynn Effect

Increase in both fluid and crystallized intelligence test scores

Alfred Binet

Invented the first IQ test

Howard Gardner & The 8 Multiple Intelligences

Linguistic - Vocab & Reading comprehension (writer) Body Kinesthetic - Eye-hand coordination (athlete) Logical Mathematical - Arithmetic and reasoning (accountant) Intrapersonal - Self-understanding (researcher) Spatial - 3D Relationships (artist) Interpersonal - Work with others (counselor) Musical - Rhythm, Sounds (musician) Naturalistic - Patterns nature (farmer)

Predictive Validity

Measure of something that will occur ex. Success in a future profession

Mental Age vs Chronological Age

Mental - Someones intelligence Chronological - Someones actual age which affects their knowledge

William Stern & Original Scoring of the Stanford Binet IQ Test

Mental age divided by chronological age then multiplied by 100 ex. a 10 year old scored a mental age of 12 = 12/10=1.2 1.2x100=120

Learning Disability

People who show discrepancy between their measured intelligence and their academic performance

Gifted / Giftedness

People who show high levels of accomplishment in certain areas

Dysgraphia

Problem with writing, inability to form letters or the ordering of words

Psychometric Approach

Studying that emphasizes analysis of the products of intelligence, especially scores on intelligence tests.

Performance Scale

Subtests in Wechsler tests that measure the ability to manipulate materials as part of a measure of overall intelligence

Verbale Scale

Subtests in Wechsler tests that measure verbal skills as part of a measure of overall intelligence

Reliability

Test can be repeated with the same results

Lewis Terman & The Stanford Binet IQ Test

Test for determining a person's IQ

Validity

Test scores are interpreted correctly and use approprialety

Culture-Fair Tests

Tests that are free of culture bias, so that no one culture has an advantage over the other

Creativity

The capacity to produce new, high-quality ideas or products

Cognitive Ability

The capacity to reason, remember, understand, solve problems, and make decisions

Familial retardation

There is no obvious genetic or environmental cause

Mental Retardation

Those who have an IQ of lower than 70 and who fail to display the skill at daily living, communication, and other tasks expected of those their age.

Dyslexia

Understand the meaning of what they read

LL Thurstone & His 7 Primary Mental Abilities

• Verbal comprehension • Word fluency • Number facility • Spatial visualization • Associative memory • Perceptual speed • Reasoning