What is an intelligence test?
A diagnostic tool designed to measure overall thinking ability.
What are higher mental processes?
Reasoning, understanding, and judgment.
What is abstract thinking?
The capacity to understand hypothetical concepts rather than concrete, present ones.
What is factor analysis?
A statistical method used to identify underlying factors that explain correlations among test items.
What is positive manifold?
The finding that scores on different cognitive tasks are positively correlated.
What brain factor is associated with intelligence?
Brain efficiency and speed of neural transmission.
How is reaction time related to intelligence?
Faster reaction times are modestly associated with higher IQ.
What is the relationship between brain size and intelligence?
There is a small but positive correlation.
What cognitive system is strongly related to intelligence?
Working memory.
What is the difference between mental age and chronological age?
Mental age reflects intellectual performance level; chronological age is actual age in years.
Why was the mental age formula replaced?
It does not work well for adults and does not reflect normal distribution properties.
What does “standardization” mean in IQ testing?
Establishing norms by testing a large representative sample.
What does reliability refer to?
Consistency of test scores over time.
What does validity refer to?
Whether a test measures what it claims to measure.
What does heritability estimate?
The proportion of variation in IQ within a population due to genetic differences.
Can high heritability exist alongside strong environmental influence?
Yes.
Why do identical twins raised apart show similar IQs?
Because they share 100% of their genes.
Why are adoption studies useful?
They help separate genetic and environmental effects.
How does schooling affect IQ?
More years of schooling are associated with higher IQ scores.
How can nutrition affect IQ?
Malnutrition can impair cognitive development.
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy in IQ research?
Expectations about ability can influence performance outcomes.
What types of intelligence increased most in the Flynn Effect?
Fluid intelligence measures.
Why is rapid genetic evolution unlikely to explain the Flynn Effect?
Genetic change occurs too slowly across generations.
What is test bias?
A test systematically underpredicts or overpredicts performance for certain groups.
