What is the Flynn Effect?
Secular increase in average scores on measures of inelligence
Why does the Flynn Effect Happen?
Likely a combination of factors
- Improved nutrition
- Better education
- Greater environmental complexity
- Increased test taking skills
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Why is the Flynn Effect important?
Interpretive Problems:
- Administrator must use test norms cautiously and appropriately
Implications for psychologists, researchers and law:
- implementing educational interventions
- identify intellectual disabilities for capital offences
- empirical research may have to make decisions about whether to use the same test throughout a longitudinal study (10+ years) or have score comparison issues
What does the Flynn Effect imply?
- likely to attain higher score on early version of IQ test
- overestimate individual’s IQ by about 0.3 points per year between the year it was normed and the year the test was administered
- high stakes decisions where IQ cut-off is necessary (e.g. intellectual disability diagnoses for capital punishment, IQ=70)
- figures to access to services and accommodations
What is the definition of an intellectual disability?
The presence of significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour prior to age 10.
An IQ score less than or equal to 70 is a common indicator of significant limitation in intellectual functioning
What are the 5 “special findings” of genes and intelligence research?
- Heritability of intelligence increases from about 20% in infancy to possibly 80% in later adulthood
- Intelligence captures genetic effects on diverse cognitive and learning abilities
- Assortative mating greater for intelligence
- Intelligence is normally distributed
- Intelligence is associated with education (and social class)
What are the three laws of the Genetics of Complex Traits?
- All traits show significant genetic influence
- No traits are 100% heritable
- Heritability is caused by many genes of small effect
Why is intelligence important? (not why is it important to be smart but what does intelligence importantly contribute to)
- one of the most stable behavioural traits
Correlation of 0.63 when tested at age 11 vs age 79 - one of the best predictors of social outcomes
- Health implications
What are the 5 rules of intelligence?
Heritability of intelligence increases from about 20% in infancy to possibly 80% in later adulthood
General genetic effects across diverse cognitive and learning abilities
Assortative mating is greater for intelligence than for other traits (0.40 for intelligence)
Positive genetics: the genetics of high intelligence
Intelligence brings some genetics to social epidemiology
What is the Range of Reaction Theory?
Each person responds to the environment in a unique way based on their genetic makeup
Reaching full potential is dependent upon environmental stimulation you experience in childhood
Those born with average genetic potential but in a stimulating environment will have environmental contributions to their intelligence
What are Arthur Jensen’s two levels of abilities
Level I: Rote memorisation (remained consistent among human race)
Level II: Conceptual and analytical abilities
What are learning disabilities:
Cognitive disorders that affect different areas of cognition, particularly language or reading
These are not the same as intellectual disabilities
Often affect children with average to above-average intelligence and is comorbid with other disorders like ADHD
What is dysgraphia?
Struggle to write legibly (the physical task of writing with a pen and paper is extremely challenging)
Inconsistent with a person’s IQ
Requires academic accommodations
What is dyslexia?
Most common learning disability in children
Inability to correctly process letters
Neurological mechanisms for sound processing does not work properly in someone with dyslexia
How is success defined in the field of intelligence?
Doing or achieving something that is generally considered desirable in the society
Success in one field may restrict you from having success in another field
Some highly intelligent people excel and others done
What traits are correlated with intelligence? (5 Traits)
- Academic performance
- Career success
- Job performance
- Happiness
- Anorexia (positive correlation)
What is the confounding problem with cognitive tests?
Standardised achievement measures are good but not pure indicators of cognitive ability
- particularly pressing for school grades
According to Borghans et al. (2011), what is the fundamental identification problem in personality psychology?
Arises from the practices of equating measures of traits with the traits themselves
According to Gary-Groth-Marnat and A. Jordan Wright, what are the types of referral settings?
- Psychiatric setting
- General medical setting
- Legal context
- Academic/educational context
- Psychological clinic
What is the expectancy Effect?
A form of reactivity that occurs when a research subject expects and given result and therefore unconsciously affects the outcome
Courchesne et al. (2015) studied children with autism potentially being at risk of being underestimated. What were the results?
Minimally verbal or nonverbal school aged autistic children are at risk of being underestimated
They may be wrongfully regarded as having little cognitive potential
Findings support the usefulness of strength-informed approaches and have implications for the assessment and education of autistic children
What is the definition of “giftedness”
An intellectual ability significantly higher than average
A developmental process: starts at birth and continues throughout life
Used to describe individuals who show or have a potential for showing an exceptional level of performance in one or more of the following areas:
- General intellectual ability
- Specific academic aptitude
- Creative thinking
- Leadership ability
- Visual or performing arts
What is the IQ range for gifted and highly gifted?
130-155: Gifted
155+: Highly gifted
What are the behavioural characteristics of giftedness?
Highly developed curiosity Longer attention span Over excitabilities Divergent thinking and a tendency to put ideas or things together in unusual, not obvious and creative ways Feeling intensely different from peers Intolerance to perception of injustice Unusual sense of humour
