The below information is derived from the textbook “Psychology Themes & Variations”.
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Key Learning Goals
The key learning goals for chapter 9, “Intelligence and Psychological Testing,” can be listed and summarised as follows:
- Identify the main categories of psychological tests and discuss what makes a test standardised. Psychological tests can be categorised based on their purpose, such as aptitude tests, intelligence tests, and personality tests. Standardisation ensures uniform procedures for administering and scoring a test, making results comparable across individuals.
- Describe test norms and percentile scores. Test norms provide a basis for interpreting scores by showing the distribution of scores in a standardisation sample. Percentile scores indicate the percentage of people who score at or below a given raw score.
- Discuss the nature of reliability and how it is measured and identify the three types of validity. Reliability refers to the consistency of test scores over time or across different forms of the test, and it is measured using methods such as test-retest reliability. Validity refers to the accuracy of a test in measuring what it is designed to measure. Three types of validity are content validity, criterion-related validity, and construct validity.
- Explain the meaning of deviation IQ scores and summarise evidence on the reliability and validity of IQ scores. Deviation IQ scores indicate where an individual falls in the normal distribution of intelligence, relative to their age group. Modern IQ tests have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. IQ scores are generally reliable and have good validity in predicting academic and vocational success.
- Discuss how well IQ scores predict vocational success and describe the use of IQ tests in non-Western cultures. IQ scores have a moderate correlation with vocational success, but other factors such as personality, social skills, and education also play a significant role. The use of IQ tests in non-Western cultures requires careful consideration of cultural factors and adaptation of tests to ensure their validity and fairness.
- Describe the different levels of intellectual disability and what is known about the causes of intellectual disability. Intellectual disability is classified into different levels based on IQ scores and adaptive functioning, ranging from mild to profound. Causes of intellectual disability include genetic factors, brain damage, and environmental factors.
- Discuss how children are typically selected for gifted programmes and summarise what we know about their level of adjustment and evidence concerning whether or not they achieve eminence as adults. Children are typically selected for gifted programmes based on high IQ scores or demonstrated talent in specific areas. Gifted children tend to be well-adjusted but may face social and emotional challenges. While some achieve eminence as adults, many do not, suggesting that other factors such as motivation and opportunity also play a role.
- Understand how heredity and environment interact to shape intelligence. Both genetic inheritance and environmental factors influence intelligence. Studies of twins and adopted children reveal the relative contributions of heredity and environment.
- Identify the five unifying themes highlighted in the chapter. The themes are the interplay of heredity and environment, the influence of cultural contexts, multifactorial causation, the interaction of psychology and society, and the subjectivity of experience.