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