W2 - measuring differences

Question 1

What are psychometrics?

Answer 1

an area of study that is concerned with the theory and measurement of psychological study

Question 2

What did Adolphe Quetelet do?

Answer 2

• pioneer in statistical methods
• wanted to be Able to describe what creates the ‘average man’
• carted the body mass index - noticed weight and height relationship
• most people are in the middle of a bell curve graph - suggested a normal distribution

Question 3

What are latent traits or variables?

Answer 3

• these are things that cannot be directly measured or observed

Question 4

What is factor analysis?

Answer 4

stats technique used in differential psychology to shape the development of questionnaires and define theory
- it explores patterns of correlation between the items on a particular measure

Question 5

What does factor analysis do?

Answer 5

helps to reveal underlying variables within theory development
- also helps to refine and create questionnaires

Question 6

What was Charles Spearman’s theory of intelligence?

Answer 6

• created theory of intelligence G
• intelligence g refers to ‘mental energy’ underlying intelligence, this is a deeper fundamental mechanism
• general intelligence then affected specific ability

Question 7

What is the Wechsler adult intelligence scale?

Answer 7

• looked into children with development delays and learning difficulties
• IQ = 100 mental age/chronological age
• IQ = 100 actual test core/ expected test score (WAIS version)
• used a bell curve, if a test was too easy or too hard they would all end up nearer one end rather than the middle

Question 8

What are Ravens progressive matrices?

Answer 8

• culture free patterned tasks
• not reliant on education, language etc
• focussed on pattern recognition and design
• results from this do correlate to IQ tests

Question 9

What did Thurnstone suggest?

Answer 9

• that there were correction in the g testing because the different types of intelligence were not tested

Question 10

What did Cattell suggest about intelligence g?

Answer 10

• stated it was too simple,
• he split g into two parts
  gf = fluid intelligence - which is to do with underlying mental energy
  gc = crystallised intelligence which is based on formal educational learning

Question 11

What did Craroll suggest instead of intelligence g?

Answer 11

• A hierarchal theory
• broke g down not lots of different types
• plot it up into specific abilities that could be individually tested

Question 12

Is brain volume related to intelligence?

Answer 12

• in proportion to animals we have much larger brains and so our intelligence might be down to that - Tiedemann 1836
• brain size and IQ have previously been positively correlated

Question 13

What is the ‘Flynn effect’?

Answer 13

this refers to the substantial increase in intelligence scores over time

Question 14

Explaining the Flynn effect

Answer 14

Probably due to environmental factors:
- length of schooling 
- test taking 
- parents style 
- nutrition 
environmental change - technology, media etc