Psyc112 Study Notes
Psychology 112 notes
Thought and language:
Samuel Morton (1820’s – 1850’s) * Intelligence testing - measured cranial cavity * Believed head size was directly related to intelligence (the more the better) * Also believed he could rank races
Paul Broca (1824-1880) * Weighed brains and ranked people * Thought that larger brains meant greater intelligence
Sir Frances Galton (1822-1911) * Believed intelligence was heredity * Developed statistical techniques with Karl Pearson * Formed the term ‘eugenics’ * Study individual differences in performance on tasks of perception, quickness and strength
Positive correlation: as one variable increases, so does the other
Negative correlation: as one variable decreases, so does the other
Correlation does not imply causality
Alfred Binet (1857-1911) * Pioneered intelligence testing * Believed intelligence was a general ability as opposed to a general accumulation of knowledge
Contemporary intelligence tests: WAIS, WISC (Stanford-Binet) * Verbal: general knowledge, vocab, comprehension, arithmetic skills * Performance: assembly of parts, drawing completion, sequencing, block design * Verbal reasoning, quantitative (mathematical) reasoning, visual reasoning, short term memory and paper/pencil intelligence tests
Spearman’s two-factor theory of intelligence:
-Intelligence consists of: * G (general) factor – underlies performance on all intelligence subtests * S (specific) factors – specific to the type of task (computation, vocab, digit span)
Fluid and Crystallised intelligence (Cattell) * These types of intelligence are two forms of general factor * Fluid: ability to learn, perceive relationships and deal with new problems. This type of intelligence stops increasing and starts to decrease after adolescence * Crystallised: acquired knowledge from one’s culture. This type of intelliegence continues to increase with age
Thought and language:
Samuel Morton (1820’s – 1850’s) * Intelligence testing - measured cranial cavity * Believed head size was directly related to intelligence (the more the better) * Also believed he could rank races
Paul Broca (1824-1880) * Weighed brains and ranked people * Thought that larger brains meant greater intelligence
Sir Frances Galton (1822-1911) * Believed intelligence was heredity * Developed statistical techniques with Karl Pearson * Formed the term ‘eugenics’ * Study individual differences in performance on tasks of perception, quickness and strength
Positive correlation: as one variable increases, so does the other
Negative correlation: as one variable decreases, so does the other
Correlation does not imply causality
Alfred Binet (1857-1911) * Pioneered intelligence testing * Believed intelligence was a general ability as opposed to a general accumulation of knowledge
Contemporary intelligence tests: WAIS, WISC (Stanford-Binet) * Verbal: general knowledge, vocab, comprehension, arithmetic skills * Performance: assembly of parts, drawing completion, sequencing, block design * Verbal reasoning, quantitative (mathematical) reasoning, visual reasoning, short term memory and paper/pencil intelligence tests
Spearman’s two-factor theory of intelligence:
-Intelligence consists of: * G (general) factor – underlies performance on all intelligence subtests * S (specific) factors – specific to the type of task (computation, vocab, digit span)
Fluid and Crystallised intelligence (Cattell) * These types of intelligence are two forms of general factor * Fluid: ability to learn, perceive relationships and deal with new problems. This type of intelligence stops increasing and starts to decrease after adolescence * Crystallised: acquired knowledge from one’s culture. This type of intelliegence continues to increase with age