INTELLIGENCEUnit 8

What is intelligence

◦Intelligence: ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations◦Concept, not thing….hmmmmm how do we measure concepts?◦When we consider someone’s intelligence as an object that we are committing reification◦She has an IQ of 120 versus Her score on the intelligence test was 120.

Aptitude versus Ability

◦Aptitude: ability to acquire knowledge; capacity to learn◦Aptitude is an ability: the ability to learn

◦Ability: capability◦Natural gift◦Intelligence◦Competence

◦Is intelligence an aptitude or an ability???

Cultural Variations in Intelligence◦Socially constructed concept◦Intelligence=whatever characteristics that enable success in said culture

Intelligent Controversies on Intelligence

◦Is intelligence a single overall ability or several specific abilities?◦Can we locate and measure intelligence?

THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE

Is intelligence a single overall ability or several specific abilities?

General Intelligence

◦Factor analysis: measure clusters of items to see if traits run together or certain abilities predict other abilities

◦General Intelligence=g factor (Spearman)◦People who score high in one factor often score high in other factors

◦General intelligence is correlated with abilities to solve novel problems

Multiple Intelligences

◦Different abilities help us solve different problems◦Savant Syndrome: someone with limited mental ability exhibits an exceptional specific skill◦Correlated with being male and having autism◦Examples: Rain Man, A Beautiful Mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wkFGXqJxas

Gardner Multiple (Independent) Intelligences

1. Linguistic2. Logical-mathematical3. Musical4. Spatial5. Bodily-kinesthetic6. Intrapersonal7. Interpersonal8. Naturalist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wkFGXqJxas

Triarchic Theory (Sternberg)

◦Analytical (academic problem-solving) Intelligence◦Measured by intelligence tests

◦Creative Intelligence◦Demonstrated by reacting to novel situations or creating novel ideas

◦Practical Intelligence◦Required for everyday tasks (poorly defined, many solutions)

◦Do these share a general intelligence?

TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE

Emotional, Creative

Social Intelligence (Cantor, Kihlstrom)◦Social intelligence: understanding social situations and managing oneself effectively◦Emotional intelligence is a subset of social intelligence

◦Helps to explain why high-aptitude people are not always more successful◦Emotional intelligence: ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJhfKYzKc0s&feature=player_embedded

Measuring Emotional Intelligence

◦Perceive Emotion: recognize emotions in faces, music, stories◦Understand Emotion: predict emotions and how they change/blend◦Manage Emotion: know how to express emotions in various situations◦High scorers have better relationships, less stress, and tend to be slightly more successful than low scorers

Brain and Emotional Intelligence

◦Brain damaged patients case study◦Elliot: normal intellect and memory◦Brain tumor was removed and he lost his emotions◦Lost his job, went bankrupt, 2x divorced, couldn’t live alone…

◦This might suggest that emotional intelligence is completely distinct from other intelligences

Validity of Emotional Intelligence

◦High emotional intelligence show modestly better ◦Job performance◦Ability to set long term goals ◦Successful interpersonal relationships

◦Gardner argues emotion is important but separate (same with creativity and motivation)

Creativity

◦Fermat’s Last Theorem◦Wiles struck with insight and creativity!◦Solved the $2 mil. problem

◦Creativity: ability to produce novel and valuable ideas◦Correlation between intelligence and creativity◦There is a correlation: high scoring IQ people also tend to score high on creativity tests.◦Limit: IQ score of 120

Types of Thinking

◦Convergent Thinking◦Thinking which requires a single correct answer◦Focus on a problem and use resources to answer it◦Measured by most intelligence tests

◦Divergent Thinking◦Thinking which has potentially many solutions◦Focus on different solutions to a problem

Components of Creativity

1. Expertise

2. Imaginative Thinking Skills

3. Venturesome Personality

4. Intrinsic Motivation

5. Creative Environment

Expertise◦Expertise: well developed base of knowledge◦More tools/facts/info we have the more combinations we can make◦2 types of bread, 2 types of meat, 2 types of vegetables=fewer sandwich combinations than 5 types of each.

Imaginative Thinking

◦New perspective◦Recognize patterns◦Make connections◦Ex. Copernicus: paradigm shifting!

Venturesome Personality

◦Almost like adventurous◦These individuals tolerate personality and risk◦Overcome obstacles◦Seek new experiences◦Ex. Tough Mudder, Thomas Edison

Intrinsic Motivation

◦Creativity is usually a product of internal not external motivation◦People assigned to do a task which requires out of the box thinking tend to preform worse if there are external motivators◦Insight often comes with lots of thinking (maybe even obsession)

Environment◦Social environment must support creativity◦Individuals should feel mentored, challenged, and supported◦Fear of judgment limits creativity◦Do we think brainstorming encourages creativity?

BIOLOGY OF INTELLIGENCE

Brain Anatomy: Size

◦There is a positive correlation between brain size and intelligence◦Controlling for animal size◦Fun fact: as you age IQ drops and brain size decreases

◦Rats raised in a stimulating environment have thicker and heavier cortexes.

Anatomy: Neurons◦People who are highly educated have about 17% more synapses◦Which comes first? Education or synapses?

◦Intelligence correlates with neural plasticity (ability to adapt and grow new neural connections◦Intelligence correlates with gray matter (cell bodies, versus white matter=axon/dendrites) in areas involved with memory, attention, and language

Brain Function: Speed◦Modest positive correlation between intelligence score and processing speed of perceptual info◦Perceived with greater complexity as well

◦We don’t know why the correlation exists◦Ideas? Perhaps faster processinggreater accumulation

ASSESSING INTELLIGENCE

Alfred Binet

◦Sought a way to differentiate between students◦Assumed intelligence correlated with age (older=more intelligent, younger=less intelligent)◦Mental Age

◦Suggested mental orthopedics to improve mental age

Lewis Terman

◦Stanford Prof◦Found that Parisian norms did not apply to California norms◦Revised the test to work for US students, established new age norms, and extended the upper end of the test◦Stanford-Binet Test

◦Originally hoped IQ tests would aid eugenics

◦Only upper spectrum would reproduce

Intelligence Quotient

◦Devised by William Stern◦IQ=(Mental Age/Chronological age)*100◦(10/10)*100=100 (aha! Average!)

◦How does this work with adults?◦(20/50)*100=50… uhhh what?!

◦IQ today does not really equal quotient…just carried over terminology

Modern IQ Tests

◦Aptitude Tests: capabilities◦Achievement Tests: learned skills◦Separating aptitude and achievement is very difficult

◦Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (followed by WISC and WPPSI)◦Overall score and component score

Principles of Test Construction

1. Standardization

2. Reliability

3. Validity

4. Bias

Standardization

◦The process of defining meaningful scores by comparing the performance of a pretested standardization group