What are mental abilities?
Abilities involving reasoning, remembering, understanding, and solving problems; higher cognitive processes.
What is intelligence?
A general mental capability involving reasoning, planning, problem-solving, abstract thinking, quick learning, and learning from experience.
What is a construct in psychology?
A theoretical idea that explains behaviour but cannot be observed directly, inferred through measurement.
What is the difference between latent and manifest variables?
Latent variables are unobservable (e.g., intelligence); manifest variables are measurable indicators (e.g., test scores).
What are implicit theories of intelligence?
Everyday beliefs about the nature of intelligence that people hold without scientific grounding.
What is an entity theory of intelligence?
The belief that intelligence is fixed and unchangeable.
What is an incremental theory of intelligence?
The belief that intelligence is malleable and can develop through effort.
How do entity vs incremental mindsets influence behaviour?
Incremental theorists show higher motivation and better responses to failure; entity theorists show less improvement.
What did research show about cultural differences in intelligence mindsets?
Incremental beliefs predict achievement in Asia/Oceania; entity beliefs sometimes predict achievement in Europe; entity beliefs predict lower achievement in North America.
What was Binet’s goal in creating the first intelligence test?
To identify children needing educational support, not to rank or label them.
What did the Binet–Simon scale measure?
Memory, reasoning, and verbal ability with age-graded tasks.
What is mental age?
The age level corresponding to the most difficult tasks a child can perform successfully.
How did Binet’s view differ from the UK/US approach?
Binet saw intelligence as improvable; UK/US psychologists viewed it as inherited and fixed.
What is the mixed legacy of early intelligence testing?
It enabled educational support but also supported eugenics, racism, and social hierarchy.
What is reliability in testing?
The consistency of a test across time, items, or raters.
What is validity in testing?
Whether a test measures what it claims to measure.
What is ratio IQ?
Mental age divided by chronological age × 100.
Why is ratio IQ limited?
Mental age becomes meaningless in adulthood.
What is deviation IQ?
A score based on how far someone deviates from their age-group mean (mean = 100, SD = 15).
How does IQ predict academic achievement?
IQ strongly predicts school performance, learning speed, and cognitive efficiency.
How does IQ predict job performance and career outcomes?
IQ predicts job performance, occupational success, and income.
How does IQ relate to health and mortality?
Higher IQ is linked to lower mortality, fewer accidents, and healthier behaviours.
Why might IQ predict better health?
Better decision-making, healthier lifestyle choices, higher SES, and improved coping skills.
What is Spearman’s g?
A general intelligence factor underlying performance across different cognitive tasks.
