Test: Variations in Psychological Attributes - 3 - Humanities/Arts MCQ

Together, the notions of normal distribution and correlation allow us to consider how our abilities vary in relation to each other and in relation to the abilities of others in the population, and hence how well we can use scores on one variable to predict scores on another.

Binet and his associate Théodore Simon used a range of tasks in their first intelligence tests. These included around 30 items of increasing difficulty, from simple items that even intellectually disabled children were able to complete. More complex tasks included pointing to body parts and defining words such as ‘house’ or ‘wheel’, and tasks that were harder still, such as repeating back strings of digits and constructing sentences involving several specified words.Interestingly, vocabulary and digit recall tasks are still used in our most advanced intelligence tests today.
Binet was also the first psychologist to specify that such tests must be:

1. administered and scored in a careful and standardized manner if comparisons between children’s performance are to be valid and reliable;
2. presented in the same order to all children and in order of increasing difficulty so that each child can pass as many tests as possible; and
3. administered in a one-to-one setting and only where the examiner has first established a friendly rapport with the child.Psychologists still adhere to these very important principles of testing today.

The higher the IQ score, the more intelligent the person. The average IQ is 90–110, with university students usually having an IQ of at least 115.

Spearman’s finding of a general feature that underlies performance in many areas was so radical that it became the hallmark of his work. Spearman likened g to mental energy – a limited resource available to all intellectual tasks. So the idea was that individuals differ in general intelligence because they have different amounts of this mental energy.

• Low general intelligence (Option A): Mental retardation (now more commonly referred to as intellectual disability) is characterized by significantly below-average intellectual functioning.
• Slow on-line processing (Option B): Individuals with intellectual disabilities may also exhibit slower cognitive processing speeds.
• A known organic etiology (Option C): In some cases, there is an identifiable organic or biological cause for the intellectual disability (e.g., genetic disorders, brain injuries).

Thus, all of these characteristics can be associated with mental retardation, making D the correct choice.

• IQ test scores represent phenotypic measures of intelligence, which are observable characteristics resulting from the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors.
• Genotypic (Option A) refers to the genetic makeup of an individual, not directly measured by IQ tests.
• Environmental (Option B) factors can influence IQ, but the scores themselves represent the observable outcome (phenotype), not just environmental factors alone.
• Modular (Option C) refers to a system made up of separate parts or modules, which is not applicable to IQ test scores.

Therefore, IQ test scores reflect phenotypic measures of intelligence.

Level I abilities focus on associative learning and rote memory, while Level II abilities involve higher-order cognitive skills.

• Option A is incorrect because Level I refers to associative learning, not understanding complex concepts, which is a Level II function.
• Option B is correct because Jensen’s model defines Level I as associative learning (rote memory), while Level II refers to cognitive competence involving higher-order skills.
• Option C is incorrect because neither Level I nor Level II involves physical coordination.
• Option D is incorrect because Level I involves rote learning, not creativity, and Level II focuses on transforming input through cognitive skills, not repetition.

Anderson suggests that the first route to knowledge is through thought (central processes) and is related to differences in IQ. Thoughtful problem-solving can be done either by verbalizing a problem (using language-like propositions to think) or by visualizing it (using visuo-spatial representations to think). For this to happen, we need two different kinds of knowledge acquisition routines, each generated by one of two specific processors.
It is proposed that these processors are the source of individual differences in specific abilities, which, in turn, are constrained by the speed of a basic processing mechanism. So, at a slow processing speed, only the simplest kinds of thoughts of either kind can occur. (It is argued that the speed of the basic processing mechanism can be measured using tasks such as inspection time and reaction time.) It is suggested by Anderson that this constraint is the basis of individual differences in general intelligence and the reason for manifest specific abilities being correlated (giving rise to the g factor).

Many researchers and other professionals have challenged the claims of a race-IQ link by emphasizing the environmental influences that can lead to observed differences, which include the disadvantaged status and treatment of minority groups, socio-economic differences and biased IQ tests.

Wechsler tests are the most widely used individual tests of intelligence
Most Widely Used Individual Tests of Intelligence:

• Wechsler Tests: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) are among the most widely used individual tests of intelligence. They assess various cognitive abilities such as verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed.
• Stanford-Binet Tests: The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales are another popular set of individual tests used to measure intelligence. They provide a general intelligence score as well as specific scores for different cognitive abilities.
• IQ Tests: IQ tests, such as the Raven's Progressive Matrices and the Cattell Culture Fair Intelligence Test, are commonly used to measure intelligence. They often involve tasks related to problem-solving, reasoning, and pattern recognition.