What is a broad definition of intelligence (Gottfredson, 1997)?
A general mental ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, learn quickly, and learn from experience.
What is meant by the circular definition ‘Intelligence is what intelligence tests measure’?
It does not define intelligence itself; it suggests tests define intelligence and questions the validity of intelligence testing.
How do implicit theories of intelligence differ across cultures?
Western cultures emphasise speed and information processing; some non-Western cultures prioritise social or practical competence.
What did Francis Galton believe about intelligence?
That higher intelligence was inherited and measurable directly.
How did Galton attempt to measure intelligence?
Using reaction time, sensory discrimination, and perceptual tasks.
Why did Alfred Binet create the first intelligence test (Binet-Simon scale, 1905)?
To identify children needing special education support.
What did the Binet-Simon test assess?
Everyday tasks such as following a light, naming body parts, counting coins, and recalling digits.
What did Binet mean by ‘mental age’?
A measure of a child’s intellectual development compared to typical performance at each age.
What is William Stern known for?
Inventing the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as mental age divided by chronological age times 100.
Why did Stern use a ratio for IQ?
He observed mental and chronological age changed proportionally in childhood.
What did Lewis Terman contribute to intelligence testing?
He revised Binet’s test into the Stanford–Binet test using large representative samples and standardised norms.
What did Charles Spearman discover using factor analysis?
That intelligence tests correlate positively, a pattern he called the ‘positive manifold’.
What is Spearman’s ‘g’?
‘General intelligence,’ a broad mental energy supporting all cognitive performance.
What are ‘s’ factors in Spearman’s theory?
Specific abilities needed for individual tasks, such as vocabulary or spatial skills.
What are norms in intelligence testing?
Average scores from large representative samples used to interpret individual scores.
Who created the Wechsler intelligence tests?
David Wechsler.
What are examples of Wechsler tests?
WAIS for adults, WISC for children, Wechsler-Bellevue for early adult testing.
What does the Block Design subtest measure?
Spatial ability and problem-solving using coloured blocks.
What does the Digit-Symbol Coding subtest measure?
Processing speed through rapid symbol-number matching.
What is deviation IQ?
A score comparing an individual’s test performance to age-based norms, standardised to a mean of 100 and SD of 15.
Why did deviation IQ replace Stern’s ratio IQ?
Because adult intelligence does not increase in proportion to age.
How are WAIS IQ scores distributed?
Normally, with mean 100 and SD 15; 95% fall between 70 and 130.
What is the key challenge of culture-fair intelligence testing?
Ensuring tests developed in one culture truly measure the same abilities in another.
What is an example of a culture-fair test?
Raven’s Progressive Matrices.
