Educational

Psychology
Intelligence Testing
Instructor: Maryam Awan
 Types of Tests
 Stanford-Binet-
 2-23 years
 Really want to use after 3, 2 doesn’t tell

us too much
 Developmental delays may not be seen

until 5
 Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative

Reasoning, Abstract/Visual Reasoning

 Short-Term Memory
 Wechsler Preschool and Primary
Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI)-
 3-7 years of age
 Assess intellectual functioning

 Subtests like object assembly,

geometric design, block design, mazes,

picture completion, animal pegs,
comprehension, arithmetic, vocabulary,
similarities, sentences
 Wechsler Intelligence Scale for
Children (WISC)-
 Ages 6-16
 Verbal subtests are oral

 Performance tests are times and allows

bonus points for quickness

 WISC
 Within the Verbal Scale are the following
subtests and what they measure:
1. Information (measures a child's range of factual
information)
2. Similarities (measures a child's ability to
categorize)
3. Arithmetic (measures the ability to solve
computational math problems)
4. Vocabulary (measures the ability to define
words)
5. Comprehension (measures the ability to answer
common sense questions)
6. Digit Span (short-term auditory memory)
 Within the Performance Scale are the following
subtests and what they measure:
1. Picture Completion (telling what's missing in
various pictures)
2. Coding (copying marks from a code; visual rote
learning)
3. Picture Arrangement (arranging pictures to tell
a story)
4. Block Design (arranging multi-colored blocks to
match printed design)
5. Object Assembly (putting puzzles together -
measures nonverbal fluid reasoning)
 Description of the possible
scores and their meaning
Test Standard Score Percentile Meaning
130+ 98% very superior
(gifted)
120 -129 91 - 97% superior
110 – 119 75 - 90% high average
90 – 109 25 - 74% average
80 – 89 9 - 24% low average
70 – 79 2 - 8% borderline 69
and below 1% mentally
impaired
 Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-
 16-74
 Determines vocational ability

 Assesses adult intellectual ability

 Determines organic deficits

 Used for neurological defects

 Woodcock-Johnson III
 Can be used from ages 2 – 90+
 Measures general intellectual ability,

specific cognitive abilities, scholastic

aptitude, oral language and
achievement
 Uses of the WJ III:
 Diagnosing learning disabilities, plan
educational and individual programs, assess
growth, provide guidance in educational
and clinical settings
Differential Ability Scales
 Purpose: Assess
multidimensional
abilities
 For: Ages 2.6-17.11
years
 Administration:
Individual
 Time: Full cognitive
battery: 45-65
minutes
Achievement tests:
15-25 minutes
 What do they measure?
 Mental ability tests
 Intelligence testing-measure general
mental ability-tends to measure future
potential
 Aptitude tests-assess specific mental

abilities – but more importantly it

measures future potential
 Achievement tests-measures what a

person had learned (used a lot in

vocational planning)
 Mental Retardation and
Giftedness
 Approximately 2 in 100 have an IQ
below 70

 Approximately 2 in 100 have an IQ

above 130

 95% of the people fall between 70

and 130
 IQ scores help us identify people
with mental retardation

 IQ tests should be measured against

observations of adaptive skills
(social, home living, communication
skills)
 Levels of Mental
Retardation
 1) Borderline (mild)-51-70-with
special training, they can read and
write, become socially competent,
master simple occupational skills
and become self-supporting.

 Can achieve a 6th grade education

level
 85% fall in this category
 2) Moderate – 36-50-with special
training and education, they can
learn to become partially
independent in their everyday lives –
need help from family

 Can achieve a 4th grade level

education
 10% fall in this category
3) Severely – 20-35-With help can
acquire skills in regards to taking
care of themselves. Requires full
supervision.

Can achieve that of a 3-4 year old

Approximately 4% fit in here
 Profoundly – 20 and below-very little
they can do on their own. Lowest
level of functioning. May need help
feeding and going to the bathroom.

 Cannot achieve that much, very

similar to a baby
 Approximately 1% fit in here
 Causes of Mental
Retardation
 Genetic causes –
 Down’s syndrome-
Results from having
an extra
chromosome on the
21st pair

 Slanted eyes
 Shortened limbs
 Widened nose
 Problems during
pregnancy
 Use of alcohol or drugs by the pregnant
mother can cause mental retardation.
Recent research has implicated smoking
in increasing the risk of mental
retardation.
 Other risks include malnutrition, certain
environmental contaminants (teratogens),
and illnesses of the mother during
pregnancy, such as rubella and syphillis.
Pregnant women who are infected with
HIV may pass the virus to their child,
leading to future neurological damage.
 Problems at birth - Although any birth
condition of unusual stress may injure the
infant's brain, prematurity and low birth
weight predict serious problems more
often than any other conditions.

 Problems after birth - Childhood

diseases such as whooping cough, chicken
pox, measles, and Hib disease which may
lead to meningitis and encephalitis can
damage the brain, as can accidents such
as a blow to the head or near drowning.
Lead, mercury and other environmental
toxins can cause irreparable damage to
the brain and nervous system.
 Poverty and cultural deprivation -
Children in poor families may
become mentally retarded because
of malnutrition, disease-producing
conditions, inadequate medical care
and environmental health hazards.
 Other interventions have reduced
the chance of mental retardation

 Removing lead from the environment

reduces brain damage in children.
 Child safety seats and bicycle helmets

reduce head trauma.

 Early intervention programs with high-

risk infants and children have shown

remarkable results in reducing the
predicted incidence of subnormal
intellectual functioning.
 Early comprehensive prenatal care
and preventive measures prior to
and during pregnancy increase a
woman's chances of preventing
mental retardation.

 Pediatric AIDS is being reduced by

AZT treatment of the mother during
pregnancy, and dietary
supplementation with folic acid
reduces the risk of neural tube