Lecture 18: Individual difference, intelligence

Question 1

What is the Individual Differences approach?

Answer 1

• It is an approach or a method, it is NOT A TOPIC.
• Every man is in certain respects
• like all other men
• Like some other men
• Like no other man

Question 2

What does Cognitive Psychology say about intelligence?

Answer 2

• Assumes intelligence comprises a set of:
• mental representations of information
• Operating process
• A more intelligent person will have better representation of information and can operate them faster.
• Intelligence is associated with convergent thinking.
• Creativity is associated with divergent thinking.

Question 3

What does the General Capacity Approach (Uni - factor) say about intelligence?

Answer 3

*Intelligence is the general capacity that manifests itself in various ways.
/Binet’s test contained many types of items (memory span, arithmetic skills and vocabulary knowledge).
*David Wechsler (1896 - 1981) agreed. Some children scored higher than others on all items.

Question 4

What does the Factorial Approach (Multifactor) say about intelligence?

Answer 4

• Louis Thurstone (1887 - 1955)
• 7 factors
  1) Verbal communication - The ability to understand the meaning of words, vocabulary tests represent this factor.
  2) Word Fluency - The ability to think of words rapidly, as in solving anagrams or thinking of words that rhyme.
  3) Number - The ability to work with numbers and perform computations.
  4) Space - The ability to visualise space form relationship, as in recognising the figures presented in different orientations.
  5) Memory - The ability to recall verbal stimuli, such as word pairs or sentences.
  6) Perceptual speed - The ability to grasp details quickly and to see similarities and differences between objects.
  7) Reasoning - The ability to find a general rule on the basis of presented instances, as in determining how a number series is constructed after being presented with only a portion of that series.

Question 5

What problems are there with Thurstone’s factors?

Answer 5

• Predictive power no greater than general intelligence
• Correlations between factors.
• Other researchers found 20 to 150 factors.
• Lack of consistency.
• Validity of factorial approach to intelligence.

Question 6

What is the Middle Ground, Two factor theory?

Answer 6

• Spearman (1904)
• G factor - General psychophysiological intelligence
• S factor - A collection of specific cognitive intellectual skills.
• School children’s grades across seemingly unrelated subjects - positively correlated.
• Model - al variation in intelligence test explained by two factors.

Question 7

How can G intelligence be divided?

Answer 7

• (Cattell)
• Fluid intelligence (Gf)
• Reasoning ability, memory capacity, speed of information processing.
• Involves spatial and visual imagery.
• Believed to be less affected by experience and education.
• Crystallized intelligence (Gc)
• Application of knowledge to problem solving.
• Verbal and numerical skills
• Believed to be affected by experience & formal education.
• Relies on long term memory (a Gf).

Question 8

What did Vernon (1979) say about intelligence?

Answer 8

• Intelligence A (Similar to Gf)
• Basic potential of the organism to learn and adapt to environment.
• Determined by genes.
• Mediated by complexity and plasticity of central nervous system.
• Intelligence B (Similar to Gc)
• Level of ability that shows in behaviour - cleverness.
• Efficiency and complexity of perceptions, learning, thinking and problem solving.
• Not genetic.
• Product of interplay between genetic potential and environmental stimulation.
• Vernon elaborated
• Intelligence C, what manifests on tests ability.

Question 9

What was Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence?

Answer 9

• Not test score driven
• Developmental/educational research driven
• Multi factor theory
• Proposes 7 intelligences (1983) - divided intelligence into seven abilities.
• Linguistic - Use words and language which is highly developed auditory skill.
• Logistical - mathematical: Manipulate the environment to experiment in controlled way. Skilled is reasoning and problem solving.
• Spatial - Navigating spatially; forming, transforming, and using mental images.
• Musical - Perceiving and creating rhythm and pitch patterns.
• Bodily - Kinesthetic - Motor coordination and movement skills.
• Intrapersonal - know thyself.
• Interpersonal - effective communicators, understand people and keep good relations.
• Equally important, value in particular culture varies.
• E. G. People living off land value bodily - kinesthetic more than logical mathematical.
• Believed schools should foster all intelligences.

Question 10

Where does the theory of intelligence stand now?

Answer 10

• Education - testing goes in and out of fashion.
• 1924, Hadow Report endorsed use of IQ tests.
• Highest point - 11+ from 1950s to the 1960s.
• Social fairness & differing maturation
• 21stC - SATs (teachers)
• Disentangling aptitude + attainment.
• Back to roots - identify children needing special education.
• Tests don’t use intelligence age, compare against norms.
• Predictors of achievement in school = 40 to 60 (Sattler 1988).
• Achievement outside academic world.
• Intelligence tests reached ceiling - computers (Sternberg & Wagner, 1986).