INTELLIGENCE

Part 3
PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION
 What is Intelligence?
• Intelligence: abilities to learn from experience, think
rationally, deal effectively with others
• Achievement: refers to knowledge and skills gained from
experience, not intelligence
• Intelligence can provide basis for achievement, ability to learn
• Theories of Intelligence:
• Charles Spearman, 2 Factor Theory: 1900, people who do well on one
type of intelligence test do well on others too, thus general intelligence
underlies all intellectual abilities
• Specific factors account for people specific abilities
• LL Thurstone, Theory of Primary Mental Abilities: 1930’s, no one
general intelligence but 7 primary mental abilities (Fluency, verbal
comprehension, spatial visualization, facility with numbers, memory,
reasoning, and perceptual speed)
• Later added something like general intelligence
What is Intelligence?
• Howard Gardner, Theory of Multiple Intelligences: 1983, studied
cultures and proposed new set of 7 intelligences which expanded to 9
• (verbal, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-
rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, existential)
• Separate of each other, good at 1 doesn’t mean good at all
• Robert Sternberg, Triarchic Theory: 1985
• Analytical intelligence (academic courses), creative intelligence, practical
intelligence
• Peter Salovey & John Mayer, Emotional Intelligence: 1990
• Why smart people aren’t always as successful as we might expect?
• Emotional intelligence: 5 factors involved in success in school or job
• Self-awareness, Mood management, Self-motivation, Impulse Control, People
Skills
 Measurement of Intelligence
• Two Intelligence Tests:
• Stanford-Binet Scale: 1905, France
• Assumed intelligence increased with age, questions for different ages,
earned months of credit for correct answers, score of mental age not same
as chronological age
• Mental Age: shows true intellectual level at which a child is functioning
• Brought to US, modified to SBIS
• Today has Intelligence Quotient: IQ, number that reflects relationship
between child’s mental age and chronological age M/C x 100 = IQ
• Transformed Score: any score that has been changed from a raw score in a
systematic way, easier to compare
 Measurement of Intelligence
• The Wechsler Scales: more widely used for children & adults
• Subtests measure different intellectual skills
• Reveals relative strengths and weaknesses as well as overall intelligence
• No mental age concept
• Measures verbal & nonverbal abilities (verbal, nonverbal, combined)
• Reliability & Validity: criteria for tests
• Reliability: its consistency
• Test-retest reliability: comparing scores earned by the same person on
the same test taken at different times
• Both IQ tests very reliable
• Validity: measures what it is suppose to measure
• B/c intelligence is hard to determine it is hard to determine if test to
measure it is valid
 Measurement of Intelligence
• Controversies & Problems:
• Controversies:
• 1800’s wanted to reduce number of unintelligent people and give highest
level jobs to those with most intelligence
• US used for immigrants, do poorly deported
• Many countries sterilized unintelligent, Nazi’s
• Cultural bias
• Problems:
• Education & economic background make a difference
• MOTIVATION!
• Negative stereotypes
 Difference in Intelligence
• Average Intelligence:
• Average IQ is 100 by design
• ½ of US score 90-110, 95% 10-130
• 5% 70 or below mentally disabled, gifted
• Mental Disability: having an IQ of 70 or below
• Commonly associated with problems in communication, taking care of
oneself, social skills, self-direction, travel in community, vocational
training
• Different Levels:
• Mild: 80%, not obvious
• Children have more problems in school, learning to walk, feed self, talk, able to
read, write, do math
• As adults care for selves & have jobs, but need occasional guidance or support
Difference in Intelligence
• Moderate: IQ score 35-49
• Learn to speak, feed, dress selves and work under supportive conditions
• Do not learn to read or solve math problems
• Down Syndrome
• Usually not capable of self-maintenance
• Can participate in simple recreation, travel alone to familiar places
• Severe: IQ 20-34
• Usually require constant supervision
• May have trouble understanding speech and responding
• Perform daily routines and repetitive activities, need continuing direction and
protective environment
• Some can learn basic self-help tasks, feeding
• Profound: IQ 20 or below
• Sow basic emotional responses
• Cannot feed or dress themselves
• Dependent on others for care throughout life
 Differences in Intelligence
• Causes of Mental Disability:
• Accidents
• Difficulty during childbirth
• Pregnancy: using alcohol & drugs, malnourishment, other health
problems
• Genetic disorder or abnormality
• Giftedness: those who have IQ scores of 130 or above
• possess outstanding talent or to show the potential for performing at
remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with other
people of the same age, experience, or environment
• Prodigy: develops special skills in a particular talent or discipline in
childhood, level comparable or above, most adults in the field
• Mozart, Bernini, Venus & Serena Williams, Ruth Lawrence
• Motivation & creativity, insight, parent helping, gifted in certain areas
Differences in Intelligence
• Creativity: ability to invent new solutions to problems or to create
original or ingenious materials
• Einstein: “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
• Highly intelligent people are more likely than the average person to be
creative, but all creative people are highly intelligent
 What Influences Intelligence?
• Nature vs. Nurture
• Genetic Influences:
• Kinship Studies: in intelligence is genetic then closely related
people should have more similar intelligence scores than distantly
related ones
• Often use identical twins
• Thomas Bouchard, 100 studies
• Identical twins are more similar than other people, even
when grow up in separate environments
• Fraternal twins, brothers & sisters, parents & children
more moderate
• Heritability: the extent to which variations in a trait from
person to person can be explained by genetic factors
• Ranges from 40-60%
• Adoptee Studies: those who live with biological parents and
adoptive parents
• Intelligence scores are more like those of biological parents
than adoptive
 What Influences Intelligence?
• Environment:
• Intelligence scores more similar for those that grew up together than
those that grew up separately
• Home environment, parenting style, school, environmental factors
• Home & Parenting:
• Parents are emotionally & verbally responsive to child’s needs
• Parents provide enjoyable educational toys
• Parents involved in children’s activities
• Parents provide varied daily experiences throughout preschool years
• Home environment well-organized and safe
• Kids encouraged to be independent to make decisions & solve problems
What Influences Intelligence?
• Preschool:
• Develop intelligence & prepare kids for school
• Head Start, 1965, economically disadvantaged kids better start in school
• Parental involvement important
• Health, education, social services
• Books, games, puzzles, drawing, toys, animals, dolls, interact with other kids &
teacher
• Increase intelligence test scores, achievement test scores, and academic
skills of participants
• Long-term benefits:
• less likely to repeat grade or place in slow learner class, be part of juvenile
delinquency or welfare program
• more likely to finish high school, attend college, higher income
 What Influences Intelligence?
• Aging & Intelligence:
• Older people drop off in test scores, usually timed
• Vocabulary expands for lifetime
• Fluid Intelligence: mental capacities allow us to respond quickly to
novel situations or problems
• Crystallized intelligence: sum of knowledge about the world, grow
and continue throughout life
• Environmental Factors: income level, education level, stimulating
jobs, intact family life, cultural events participation, travel, reading,
marriage to spouse with high intelligence, flexible personality