INTELLIGENCE

Definition of intelligence:
• Intelligence is the ability to learn quickly, understand complex and
abstract issues, solve problems etc.
• Intelligence is capacity to act purposefully, think rationally and deal
effectively with the environment
• Intelligence is the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge.
• Intelligence is ability to grasp relationships, analyze facts particularly
abstract facts with alertness and accuracy, exercise practical wisdom
in seeking solution to various problems.

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Intelligence Quotient Tests [IQ test]
• They begun with Alfred Binet in France 1905; and are aimed at :
✓determining the level of individual’s intelligence relative to others in
same age group.
✓Gauging individual’s mental aptitude or mental capability NOT how
much one knows.
• IQ tests contain items on issues not taught in class like:
-judgment -reasoning
-memory -comprehension
-ability to pay attention -problem solving
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Intelligence Quotient
• Intelligence quotient is a ratio of the mental age to the chronological
age (actual age) of an individual and shows the rate of mental growth
• I.Q. can be obtained by dividing mental age by chronological age and
multiply by 100. e.g a child with I.Q of 100 has mental ability of
average while a child with I.Q of 110 has mental ability above average
• A child with I.Q of 80 has mental ability below average.
• The formula for calculating I.Q is [mental age/chronological age x100]
mental age x 100
chronological age

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Calculate I.Q
• If a child of 10 years old is able to do mental tasks done by children of
ten years old. What is the child’s I.Q?
solution: mental age is 10 years, and chronological age is 10 years.
I.Q = mental age x 100 10 x100 = 100
chronological age 10
- the child has average ability
• If a child of 10 years old is able to perform mental tasks done by
children of 14 year old. What is the child’s I.Q?

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Calculating I.Q …
Solution: mental age is 14, chronological age is 10 years.
I.Q = mental age x 100 = 14 x 100 = 140
chronological age 10
-child has above average ability
• If a child of 12 years old is only able to do mental tasks done by
children 10 years old. What is the child’s I.Q?
I.Q = mental age x 100 = 10 x 100 = 83.3
chronological age 12
-child has below average ability

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Purpose of Intelligence Tests
• Intelligence tests are administered to serve the following needs:
✓To identify children with special needs.
✓For promotion of learner from one level to another.
✓For prediction of academic achievement.
✓To assist in vocational counsellors.
✓To identify pupils with learning problems/symptoms such as:
-anxiety, frustration, emotional disturbance, disruptive behavior,
retardation, underachievement, etc.
✓For grouping learners according to their abilities.

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Disadvantages of I.Q Tests
1) Test items used may not be suitable and hence distort the actual
ability of the candidate.
2) Conditions under which the test is taken might be inappropriate.
3) The investigator may be biased.
4) Psychological, mental, health etc states of candidate might be poor
at the time of the test, and hence influence performance.
5) Faulty or improper administration of the test can affect the
individual performance.
6) Test may not consider socio-cultural differences.

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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF
INTELLIGENCE
1) Heredity refer to genes inherited from parents; parents with high IQ tend
to have children with high IQ.
2) Environment can stimulate expression of intelligence or suppress
intelligence to the extend a child tends to shows retarded intellectual
development.
3) Mental age. Intelligence increases with mental age until 22 years when
mental maturity is attained. Thus intelligence is low during early years
and fully achieved at age 22 years.
4) Health and physical development. Prolonged ill-health during childhood
may result in retarded intellectual development. Inflammation of
central nervous system may affect brain development and thus
intelligence
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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF
INTELLIGENCE …
5) Culture. Cultural beliefs dictate our eating habits. Culture and
customs encourage or discourage consumption of certain foods.
Excess consumption of fats, refined sugar and red meat destroy soft
body tissues like brain
6) Socio-economic status. When families cannot afford balanced diet
food for their growing children, they may suffer kwashiorkor,
marasmus, etc. This can result in retarded intellectual development
7) Home interaction. Behaviour among family members can be
stressful or supportive for child’s mental development [intellectual]. A
supportive and warm home interactions encourage exploration,
curiosity and self-reliance and hence higher intellectual competence.

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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF
INTELLIGENCE
• Unsupportive behaviour among family members where the child is
rejected, shouted at, punished, authoritarian parents, etc intellectual
competence of child will be low.
8) Education level of mother. Educated mothers provide supportive
home environment, provide emotional security and praise the child’s
achievement, allow independence which support intellectual
achievements of children.

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Levels of Intelligence

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Causes of mental retardation
1. Genetics, e.g. chromosomal disorders.
2. Pre-natal factors like: radiation, drugs, rhesus factor incompatibility.
3. Child birth injuries.
4. Post-natal causes like: diet, accidents, diseases [e.g. inflammation of
the nervous system, meningitis]
5. Socio-cultural factors.

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Characteristics of mentally retarded learners.
1. Poor memory
2. Short attention span
3. Defective reasoning and poor in logic
4. Language problems: poor articulation, poor reading and
comprehension, slow language development, stuttering.
5. Poor academic achievement.
6. Poor organization.

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Organizing learning for mentally retarded learners
• Give a lot of mental stimulation.
• Motivate and encourage learners.
• Learning should proceed in small logical steps.
• Practice drilling and repetition.
• Avoid ridicule for mistakes done.
• Give continuous assessment after short learning intervals.
• Give immediate corrective feedback.
• Use a lot of teaching aids: visual, audio, models, etc.
• Make use of practical activities.

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Importance of the knowledge about intelligence levels

1. To place learners in the appropriate groups.

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Ways of improving intelligence of learners
a) Exposing them to a stimulating environment [conducive].
b) Give learners challenging tasks.
c) Encourage discovery learning among the learners.
d) Make learning adequate to the level of learners.
e) Make learning interesting and provide appropriate materials.

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End of live session
•Bye bye

• Welcome to next live session

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